Alex Horton

China gonna love this

Unexploded missiles, witnesses undercut Trump account of Nigeria strike Of the 16 U.S. Tomahawk missiles fired at militants in Nigeria, at least four appeared not to explode, according to officials and imagery reviewed by The Post.

One explanation: US had bad situational awareness and relied on Nigerian intel. Commanders may have ditched them intentionally after conditions changed or targets moved www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

Unexploded missiles, witnesses undercut Trump account of Nigeria strike Of the 16 U.S. Tomahawk missiles fired at militants in Nigeria, at least four appeared not to explode, according to officials and imagery reviewed by The Post.

The Pentagon’s airstrikes in Nigeria didn’t accomplish much beyond giving local bomb techs practice handling dangerous remnants. Four missiles did not explode, and mediocre intel could be a factor www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

ICE plans $100 million ‘wartime recruitment’ push targeting gun shows, military fans for hires An internal ICE document shared among immigration officials details plans to use influencers and geo-targeted ads to rapidly hire thousands of deportation officers.

New: We got an internal ICE document revealing its $100 million ad plan to bring in 14,000 new hires: deals with "tactical" influencers; ads to gun & military buffs; and geo-targeting phones around NASCAR races and gun shows.

A "wartime recruitment" mode with paramilitary branding: wapo.st/44QrP5j

Here you have it—an ALL NEW @talkingfeds.bsky.social w/ @natashabertrand.bsky.social, @alexhorton.bsky.social & #StevenJLepper.

We examine the damage Trump has done to the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth’s tenure, and the dangerous logic behind new uses of U.S. military power. bit.ly/MilitaryTF

no problem bud

This is true. Some narco subs have mechanisms to scuttle the vessel before they are boarded to destroy evidence linked to larger cartel operations. In this case, the US did it themselves, and even the lowest level drug runners eluded charges

The U.S. sank the alleged narco-terrorists’ boat — and let them go In blowing up the vessel, destroying evidence and repatriating the survivors, the U.S. cut short a process that’s helped bring down traffickers.

OF ALL THE VESSELS SUNK BY THE U.S. it was the likeliest to have been carrying drugs: a semisubmersible with at least one convicted trafficker on board. The U.S. blew it up, destroyed the evidence and let the survivors go GIFT LINK @schmidtsam.bsky.social @alexhorton.bsky.social

wapo.st/4qq5ymS

The U.S. sank the alleged narco-terrorists’ boat — and let them go In blowing up the vessel, destroying evidence and repatriating the survivors, the U.S. cut short a process that’s helped bring down traffickers.

A drug boat in the Atlantic was likely heading to Europe, not the US, when an AC-130J attacked it.

What happened next with two survivors defied what the admin and Pentagon have said about alleged “narco-terrorists.” www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...

The U.S. sank the alleged narco-terrorists’ boat — and let them go In blowing up the vessel, destroying evidence and repatriating the survivors, the U.S. cut short a process that’s helped bring down traffickers.

Pleased to speak with the @washingtonpost.com about the US disposition of the survivors of the October 16th maritime strike.

“Once they had custody of these people, it was clear … they were going to try to get rid of them expeditiously.”

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...

‘Welcome to hell’: Inside the megaprison where the U.S. deported migrants Interviews with 16 former detainees of El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center offer the most complete view yet of conditions inside the notorious prison.

INSIDE EL CECOT (GIFT LINK) The Post's reporting on the Salvadoran prison where the Trump administration sent migrants deported from the United States, based on interviews with 16 former detainees

wapo.st/3KUUv6n

extraordinary forensic reporting from my investigative colleagues at @washingtonpost.com :
@imogenpiper.bsky.social + @abtran.bsky.social + @alexhorton.bsky.social + John Farrell + Brian Perlman

In deadly D.C. plane crash, city lights may have played a role. See how. The Post examined the bright skyline around Reagan National Airport and whether it may have been a factor in the January accident, which killed 67 people.

The brightness of the DC skyline (National Harbor has gotten 3x brighter in a decade) and lights from inbound aircraft may have contributed to the deadliest US airline crash in 20 years. By @imogenpiper.bsky.social, @abtran.bsky.social, @alexhorton.bsky.social, @jb1prod.bsky.social & Brian Perlman:

In deadly D.C. plane crash, city lights may have played a role. See how. The Post examined the bright skyline around Reagan National Airport and whether it may have been a factor in the January accident, which killed 67 people.

Excellent breakdown of potential contributing factors to the tragic air collision over the Potomac. Class B information overload + lights & NVGs potential contributors via @imogenpiper.bsky.social @jb1prod.bsky.social @abtran.bsky.social @alexhorton.bsky.social Brian Perlman wapo.st/4atdTBI

Special Report: The night everything at DCA finally went wrong D.C. midair crash was the result of a complete collapse of the protections designed to keep aviation safe — and the institutions that design and maintain them

For the last few months, I've been working on a story about January's crash near Washington, D.C. What I learned was that it was simply an accident waiting to happen.

Special Report: The night everything at DCA finally went wrong (via @theaircurrent.com) theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf...

Stephen Miller’s hard-line Mexico strategy morphed into deadly boat strikes President Donald Trump’s homeland security adviser, Stephen Miller, had a plan to target Mexican drug cartels. That strategy morphed into lethal boat strikes.

POST EXCLUSIVE (GIFT LINK) Miller and others wanted to strike cartels in Mexico. But as the administration hardened the border, Mexico curbed cartel action, leaving them to look for other targets @ellenwapo.bsky.social @alexhorton.bsky.social and @danlamothe.bsky.social report

wapo.st/4p66tIm

Stephen Miller’s hard-line Mexico strategy morphed into deadly boat strikes President Donald Trump’s homeland security adviser, Stephen Miller, had a plan to target Mexican drug cartels. That strategy morphed into lethal boat strikes.

The Trump admin wanted to be tough on drugs by striking Mexican cartels. Their allies produced good results, so Stephen Miller and others went looking for another venue.

How we got to boat strikes, and a focus on Venezuela.

Free to read link: wapo.st/4p66tIm

I would pick a print version of the Onion over my own paper tbh

Contractors love living in this space of overcorrection

Slaughterhouse-Five but from the perspective of the cow with big dreams of traveling outside Dresden

How a U.S. admiral decided to kill two boat strike survivors The controversial order given by Adm. Frank Bradley is under scrutiny from Congress. Inside the most consequential deliberation of his career.

Here is a free to read link: wapo.st/4oOp6jO

Teehee

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They are on a loud four-engine boat smacking the waves, it came from behind them, and it wasn’t a Hellfire.

Yes. We are told nobody knows whether these guys knew they were just attacked. They had fuel reserves, so it’s possible they thought it was a gas explosion.

Exclusive | Hegseth Asked Top Admiral to Resign After Months of Discord The relationship between the Pentagon chief and Adm. Alvin Holsey had been rocky since Trump’s inauguration.

NEW: Hegseth asked SOUTHCOM Adm. Alvin Holsey to step down, a de facto ouster that was the culmination of months of discord between the two that intensified when Holsey had initial concerns about the legality of lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

Did the Trump administration commit a war crime in its attack on a Venezuelan boat? Washington Post reporter Alex Horton talks about the Sept. 2 U.S. military strike on a boat with alleged "narco terrorists," in which a second strike was ordered to kill two survivors in the water.

I went on @nprfreshair.bsky.social with Terry Gross to lay out what we know and don’t know about the administration’s second deadly strike on Sept 2, which killed two survivors in the Caribbean www.npr.org/2025/12/03/n...

Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.

If the U.S. was at war, Pete Hegseth's order would be a war crime, a military lawyer said. Instead, it might just be murder. wapo.st/49KbUJ1

Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.

Exclusive: Hegseth ordered everyone killed in the first alleged drug boat strike on Sept. 2, prompting a second hit to finish off survivors in the water in a mission led by SEAL Team 6. Ordering no quarter could legally perilous www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

White House considers leaflet drop to pressure Maduro on his birthday The White House has proposed a leaflet drop over Caracas, reminding citizens about the $50 million U.S. bounty on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Exclusive: the White House considered dropping leaflets over Caracas, touting a $50M reward for info leading to Maduro's arrest and conviction. They eyed a mission for tomorrow -- Maduro's 63rd birthday. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...