Samuel Oakford (WaPo)
@samueloakford.bsky.social
19K followers 920 following 190 posts
@washingtonpost visual forensics | [email protected] | signal: 771-200-7508
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Reposted by Samuel Oakford (WaPo)
willoremus.com
not a big Prize Guy but proud to have played a role on the @washingtonpost.com team that was named a Pulitzer finalist in National Reporting today for our coverage of Hurricane Helene, including the social media-fueled storm of lies that followed in its wake www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024...
How a conspiracy-fueled group got a foothold in this hurricane-battered town
Over the course of 11 days, a supermarket parking lot became a snapshot of the chaos that can unfold in some corners of post-disaster America.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by Samuel Oakford (WaPo)
matthewhaybrown.bsky.social
As Trump upends U.S. foreign policy, getting closer to Russia, threatening NATO allies, pausing cooperation with Ukraine, Washington’s traditional partners — and best customers — are rethinking their dependence on American weapons systems

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
Trump turbulence leads allies to rethink reliance on U.S. weapons
European capitals are reviewing vulnerabilities and want to wean themselves from dependence on American weapons, but expanding homegrown options will take time.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by Samuel Oakford (WaPo)
drewfitzgerald.bsky.social
Trump's Iron Dome for America plan — now renamed "Golden Dome" — is rocketing forward and Silicon Valley-linked contractors like Anduril and SpaceX could reap some of the rewards: www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
Military-Tech Startups Vie for Billions as Hegseth Shakes Up Pentagon Spending
Venture-backed companies see an opening to take business from traditional defense contractors.
www.wsj.com
Reposted by Samuel Oakford (WaPo)
ddiamond.bsky.social
Elon Musk said DOGE made a mistake by cutting USAID’s Ebola prevention but it had been “restored.”

That’s not true, current and former officials told me and @johnphudson.bsky.social.

“There have been no efforts to ‘turn on’” Ebola prevention, said Nidhi Bouri, who oversaw team until January.
Musk claims DOGE ‘restored’ Ebola prevention effort. Officials disagree.
USAID’s initiatives to fight Ebola and other diseases have been gutted, current and former agency officials said.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by Samuel Oakford (WaPo)
aric.bsky.social
The Internet Archive has removed its archives of individual tweets from the account belonging to DOGE staffer Marko Elez.

The WSJ reported yesterday that this account belonged to Ekes, and that many of these tweets were racist and led to his resignation.
Reposted by Samuel Oakford (WaPo)
melissagiragrant.com
“The Federal Communications Commission is investigating San Francisco-based KCBS for its coverage of immigration enforcement actions in San José last month, sparking concerns from press freedom advocates and drawing right-wing backlash to the radio station.”
FCC Investigates SF Radio Station for ICE Reporting, Sparking Press Freedom Fears | KQED
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said the agency is investigating San Francisco-based KCBS for its coverage of immigration enforcement actions in San José.
www.kqed.org
samueloakford.bsky.social
“The British government’s undisclosed order, issued last month, requires blanket capability to view fully encrypted material, not merely assistance in cracking a specific account, and has no known precedent in major democracies.”

www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts
Secret order requires blanket access to protected cloud backups around the world, which if implemented would undermine Apple’s privacy pledge to its users.
www.washingtonpost.com
samueloakford.bsky.social
The Trump administration’s abrupt decision to repatriate USAID’s overseas workforce has thrust the agency’s global staff into chaos and despair, as workers scramble to uproot their lives and brace for what they fear will be a shutdown of all American aid missions in 30 days.
Recall of USAID’s global workforce causes havoc and distress
USAID employees stationed overseas are struggling to navigate the sudden upheaval, having received little clear information from the Trump administration.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by Samuel Oakford (WaPo)
riegerreport.bsky.social
New Washington Post reporting:

Some DOGE staffers have gained access to internal systems at the Education Dept., including a financial aid dataset that contains personal information for millions of students enrolled in the federal student aid program.

www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Trump preps order to dismantle Education Dept. as DOGE probes data
Closing the agency would require congressional approval, so the new administration hopes to diminish it in the meantime.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by Samuel Oakford (WaPo)
samueloakford.bsky.social
should have known something was up
Reposted by Samuel Oakford (WaPo)
clancyny.bsky.social
Last night, Musk's staff were stopped trying to enter USAID's HQ. They threatened to call U.S. Marshals.

@cnn.com: Sources say they wanted access to security systems and personnel files and to access classified information.

Today, the USAID Director of Security and his deputy were put on leave.
Senior USAID security officials put on leave after refusing Musk’s DOGE access to agency systems | CNN Politics
Two top security officials at the US Agency for International Development were put on administrative leave Saturday night after refusing to allow officials from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Ef...
www.cnn.com
samueloakford.bsky.social
I woke up today and briefly thought id dreamt this
samueloakford.bsky.social
"In the wake of the worst American air disaster in two decades, the understaffed and cash-strapped National Transportation Safety Board was scrambling to keep investigators from leaving after federal employees received an offer by the Trump administration to resign and be paid through September."
Exclusive: NTSB scrambled to retain employees after Trump’s federal worker resignation offer | CNN Politics
In the wake of the worst American air disaster in two decades, the understaffed and cash-strapped National Transportation Safety Board was scrambling to keep investigators from leaving after federal e...
www.cnn.com
Reposted by Samuel Oakford (WaPo)
ddiamond.bsky.social
forget about waking the president — someone wake up Bill Simmons
samueloakford.bsky.social
WASHINGTON POST, DATELINE LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to acquire Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis in a blockbuster trade, people with knowledge of the situation confirmed Saturday. www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
Lakers trade Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic in blockbuster with Mavericks
The Lakers will pair Luka Doncic with LeBron James in a stunning trade.
www.washingtonpost.com
samueloakford.bsky.social
this trade is deeply unsettling!!!
samueloakford.bsky.social
"Billionaire Elon Musk’s deputies have gained access to a sensitive Treasury Department system responsible for trillions of dollars in U.S. government payments after the administration ousted a top career official at the department."

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Musk aides gain access to sensitive Treasury Department payment system
The access, granted by Scott Bessent, Trump’s newly confirmed treasury secretary, comes after the ousting of the agency’s top career official.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by Samuel Oakford (WaPo)
peterwstevenson.bsky.social
NEW: @washingtonpost.com has obtained dash-cam video of a previously unseen angle of the DC plane crash (via WaPo's Jenny Gathright):