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

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Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · May 14

“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

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

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

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Reposted by Adam Taylor

Greg Miller @gregpmiller.bsky.social · May 7

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

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

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Reposted by Adam Taylor

Ellen Nakashima @ellenwapo.bsky.social · May 6

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

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

Rubio unveils sweeping reorganization of State Department

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Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · May 1

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

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Reposted by Adam Taylor

Matthew Hay Brown @matthewhaybrown.bsky.social · Apr 22

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...

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

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

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Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Apr 14

It did not — I think as a separate agency they would not be included in state budget

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Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Apr 14

🚨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 [email protected] or mradamtaylor.01 on Signal 🚨

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Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Apr 14

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...

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

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

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Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Feb 28

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?

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Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Feb 28

"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...

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

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

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Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Feb 28

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

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.

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

Reposted by Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Feb 24

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...

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.

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

Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Feb 24

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...

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.

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

Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Feb 24

"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...

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

www.nytimes.com

Conservatives heading to victory in German election; far right surges

Reposted by Adam Taylor

Matthew Hay Brown @matthewhaybrown.bsky.social · Feb 23

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...

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.

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Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Feb 20

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

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Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Feb 20

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

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Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Feb 10

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

Reposted by Adam Taylor

André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · Feb 8

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

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

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Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Feb 7

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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.

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

Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Feb 6

"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...

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

www.972mag.com

Reposted by Adam Taylor

Matthew Hay Brown @matthewhaybrown.bsky.social · Jan 31

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....

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

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Adam Taylor @mradamtaylor.bsky.social · Jan 29

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

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.

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

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Reposted by Adam Taylor

Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · Jan 25

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

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