Aaron Schaffer
@aaronschaffer.com
news researcher doing OSINT things and more at @washingtonpost.com. signal: aaronschaffer.01 https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/aaron-schaffer/
Pinned
Aaron Schaffer
@aaronschaffer.com
· Nov 15
Noticing a bunch of new followers on here recently and I wanted to say hi and introduce myself! I’m on the @washingtonpost.com news research team, where I dig into court records, databases, online footprints, archives, and a million other things! Oh, and I’m also a member of @postguild.bsky.social
Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
it's Christmas Eve but it's also the 16 year anniversary of the time an art historian for the Hungarian National Gallery spotted a long lost painting while watching Stuart Little with his 3-year-old daughter, recognizing it in the movie set
December 24, 2025 at 11:40 AM
it's Christmas Eve but it's also the 16 year anniversary of the time an art historian for the Hungarian National Gallery spotted a long lost painting while watching Stuart Little with his 3-year-old daughter, recognizing it in the movie set
NEW: We downloaded a new batch of around 11,000 Epstein documents that were briefly on the DOJ website today. They include wide-ranging references to President Trump. wapo.st/4b3ycG6
Second big batch of Epstein files includes many mentions of Trump
After a first batch of Epstein document had few mentions of President Trump, the Justice Department disclosed thousands more with many references to the president.
wapo.st
December 23, 2025 at 3:49 AM
NEW: We downloaded a new batch of around 11,000 Epstein documents that were briefly on the DOJ website today. They include wide-ranging references to President Trump. wapo.st/4b3ycG6
@klong.bsky.social's surrogacy story (www.wsj.com/us-news/chin...) and this piece are two of the best things I read this month. wow wow wow
If I haven't responded to your email, it's because I was first convincing an AI vending machine that it exists in the basement of Moscow State University in 1962 and then executing a boardroom coup against its AI CEO.
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...
We Let AI Run Our Office Vending Machine. It Lost Hundreds of Dollars.
An AI agent ran a snack operation in the WSJ newsroom. It gave away a free PlayStation, ordered a live fish—and taught us lessons about the future of AI.
www.wsj.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:44 AM
@klong.bsky.social's surrogacy story (www.wsj.com/us-news/chin...) and this piece are two of the best things I read this month. wow wow wow
Months ago, when I was looking into Pete Marocco, the Trump official who helped dismantle USAID, I noticed that he was involved in a long-running lawsuit with his interior designers.
I told @curiouskurz.bsky.social about it and she dug in. Here's the crazy tale (gift link). wapo.st/4pNVV1L
I told @curiouskurz.bsky.social about it and she dug in. Here's the crazy tale (gift link). wapo.st/4pNVV1L
Inside the 17-year lawsuit between a Trump official and his interior designers
A lawsuit between former Trump official Pete Marocco and a Florida design firm has gone on for over a decade, involving complex legal maneuvers and accusations.
wapo.st
December 20, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Months ago, when I was looking into Pete Marocco, the Trump official who helped dismantle USAID, I noticed that he was involved in a long-running lawsuit with his interior designers.
I told @curiouskurz.bsky.social about it and she dug in. Here's the crazy tale (gift link). wapo.st/4pNVV1L
I told @curiouskurz.bsky.social about it and she dug in. Here's the crazy tale (gift link). wapo.st/4pNVV1L
Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
At least 20 people who have received clemency from President Trump so far this year were also forgiven of financial penalties totaling tens of millions of dollars.
Some of these offenders owed money to real-life victims of fraud.
Some of these offenders owed money to real-life victims of fraud.
Trump’s pardons wipe out payments to defrauded victims
In addition to clearing prison sentences, the president’s clemency actions have erased millions in restitution payments.
wapo.st
December 19, 2025 at 4:30 PM
At least 20 people who have received clemency from President Trump so far this year were also forgiven of financial penalties totaling tens of millions of dollars.
Some of these offenders owed money to real-life victims of fraud.
Some of these offenders owed money to real-life victims of fraud.
Michael Flynn, once probed over foreign payments, lobbied for Bosnian Serbs. He's the second person pardoned by President Trump to work on behalf of the Bosnian Serb republic. wapo.st/4qjyZHu
Michael Flynn, once probed over foreign payments, lobbied for Bosnian Serbs
Flynn is the second person pardoned by President Trump to work on behalf of the Bosnian Serb republic.
wapo.st
December 18, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Michael Flynn, once probed over foreign payments, lobbied for Bosnian Serbs. He's the second person pardoned by President Trump to work on behalf of the Bosnian Serb republic. wapo.st/4qjyZHu
HHS "terminated seven grants totaling millions of dollars to the American Academy of Pediatrics, including for research on reducing sudden infant deaths, improving adolescent health, preventing fetal alcohol syndrome and identifying autism early" www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
American Academy of Pediatrics loses HHS funding after criticizing RFK Jr.
HHS cuts key AAP grants, citing concerns about “identity-based language” and insufficient focus on agency priorities. The organization said the cuts could harm child health.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:38 PM
HHS "terminated seven grants totaling millions of dollars to the American Academy of Pediatrics, including for research on reducing sudden infant deaths, improving adolescent health, preventing fetal alcohol syndrome and identifying autism early" www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
‘You see this news?’: What Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer told friends after the attack wapo.st/4q7QLx8
Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer bragged about Wordle score minutes before shooting
A patchwork of social interactions and a trail of online posts provide a view into the life and beliefs of Tyler Robinson, the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s killing.
wapo.st
December 17, 2025 at 1:59 PM
‘You see this news?’: What Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer told friends after the attack wapo.st/4q7QLx8
“Rob Reiner, the director behind beloved films like “When Harry Met Sally…” and “The Princess Bride,” and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner, were killed Sunday afternoon at their Brentwood home, their family confirmed” www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Rob Reiner and wife Michele found dead in Los Angeles home
Reiner’s family confirmed the deaths, which Los Angeles police are investigating as homicides.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:54 AM
“Rob Reiner, the director behind beloved films like “When Harry Met Sally…” and “The Princess Bride,” and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner, were killed Sunday afternoon at their Brentwood home, their family confirmed” www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
👀👀👀
December 12, 2025 at 8:16 PM
👀👀👀
Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
While previous administrations have included the ultrarich, the wealth held by this group is larger than even the first Trump administration, previously the wealthiest in U.S. history.
Here’s who they are.
Here’s who they are.
Meet the Trump administration’s 12 billionaires
At a net worth of $390 billion, it’s the wealthiest White House in modern history.
wapo.st
December 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM
While previous administrations have included the ultrarich, the wealth held by this group is larger than even the first Trump administration, previously the wealthiest in U.S. history.
Here’s who they are.
Here’s who they are.
BREAKING: Judge in Florida grants DOJ request to unseal Jeffrey Epstein grand jury transcripts, rules that Congress's Epstein law "trumps Rule 6’s prohibition on disclosure" storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
#8 in In Re: Grand Jury 05-02 (WPB) & 07-103 (WPB) (S.D. Fla., 9:25-mc-80920) – CourtListener.com
ORDER granting 6 Motion to Unseal Grand Jury Transcripts. Signed by Judge Rodney Smith on 12/5/2025. See attached document for full details. (kpe) (Entered: 12/05/2025)
storage.courtlistener.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:45 PM
BREAKING: Judge in Florida grants DOJ request to unseal Jeffrey Epstein grand jury transcripts, rules that Congress's Epstein law "trumps Rule 6’s prohibition on disclosure" storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
Exclusive: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody” in the first strike on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. After two men survived, the mission commander ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, according to two sources.
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.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 28, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Exclusive: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody” in the first strike on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. After two men survived, the mission commander ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, according to two sources.
Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
Photos from a witness show the attack on two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.
Exclusive | Witness Photos Captured the Attack on the National Guard
Footage from a passerby at Wednesday’s shooting shows a man holding a revolver and a U.S. National Guardsman returning fire.
on.wsj.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Photos from a witness show the attack on two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.
Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
it's monday night, it's blossoms shanghai night www.criterionchannel.com/blossoms-sha...
Blossoms Shanghai - The Criterion Channel
In 1990s Shanghai, fortunes are waiting to be made—but not everyone can be a winner. In his first-ever television series, legendary director Wong Kar Wai (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE) orchestrates a sprawlin...
www.criterionchannel.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:03 PM
it's monday night, it's blossoms shanghai night www.criterionchannel.com/blossoms-sha...
“Bluntly, the taxpayers of D.C. are being screwed by this,” said Kirk McClure, a professor emeritus for the public affairs school at the University of Kansas and a former loan underwriter for the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/int...
How D.C. developers made big money on a taxpayer-funded housing project
The Ethel was built on land provided by the city and benefited from a cascade of government subsidies that helped enrich its developers, a Washington Post investigation found.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:06 PM
“Bluntly, the taxpayers of D.C. are being screwed by this,” said Kirk McClure, a professor emeritus for the public affairs school at the University of Kansas and a former loan underwriter for the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/int...
Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
Nursing home magnate Joseph Schwartz was sentenced in April to three years for defrauding the government of $38 million.
Seven months later, President Trump pardoned him, but the White House denies a lobbying tie.
Seven months later, President Trump pardoned him, but the White House denies a lobbying tie.
The case of a felon who paid lobbyists nearly $1 million to seek a Trump pardon
Nursing home magnate Joseph Schwartz was sentenced in April to three years for defrauding the government of $38 million. Seven months later, Trump pardoned him, but the White House denies a lobbying t...
www.washingtonpost.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Nursing home magnate Joseph Schwartz was sentenced in April to three years for defrauding the government of $38 million.
Seven months later, President Trump pardoned him, but the White House denies a lobbying tie.
Seven months later, President Trump pardoned him, but the White House denies a lobbying tie.
Nursing home magnate Joseph Schwartz paid nearly $1 million to right-wing provocateurs Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl — who noted on their lobbying filing that they were “seeking a federal pardon” — per lobbying disclosures. Trump ultimately granted Schwartz a pardon. wapo.st/4igndux
The case of a felon who paid lobbyists nearly $1 million to seek a Trump pardon
Nursing home magnate Joseph Schwartz was sentenced in April to three years for defrauding the government of $38 million. Seven months later, Trump pardoned him, but the White House denies a lobbying t...
wapo.st
November 23, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Nursing home magnate Joseph Schwartz paid nearly $1 million to right-wing provocateurs Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl — who noted on their lobbying filing that they were “seeking a federal pardon” — per lobbying disclosures. Trump ultimately granted Schwartz a pardon. wapo.st/4igndux
Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
In an era defined by political divisions and massive wealth accumulation for the richest Americans, billionaires are spending unprecedented amounts on U.S. politics.
As a result, politicians are more dependent on their donations than ever before.
As a result, politicians are more dependent on their donations than ever before.
How billionaires took over American politics
The current concentration of wealth is unlike anything in history. So is billionaires’ involvement in politics.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM
In an era defined by political divisions and massive wealth accumulation for the richest Americans, billionaires are spending unprecedented amounts on U.S. politics.
As a result, politicians are more dependent on their donations than ever before.
As a result, politicians are more dependent on their donations than ever before.
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announces she is resigning from House www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announces she is resigning from House
The longtime MAGA supporter says she is stepping down from office as of Jan. 5.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:45 AM
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announces she is resigning from House www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
Fox announced a massive new podcast on the life of Jesus starring Kristen Bell as the voice of Mary Magdalene.
Bell was blindsided by the announcement saying she recorded the audio for a separate project 15 years ago.
Bell was blindsided by the announcement saying she recorded the audio for a separate project 15 years ago.
Kristen Bell Is the Star of a New Jesus Podcast From Fox. No One Told Her
Fox's new Jesus podcast features Kristen Bell as the voice of Mary Magdalene. Bell, however, recorded the audio 15 years ago for a different project.
rollingstone.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Fox announced a massive new podcast on the life of Jesus starring Kristen Bell as the voice of Mary Magdalene.
Bell was blindsided by the announcement saying she recorded the audio for a separate project 15 years ago.
Bell was blindsided by the announcement saying she recorded the audio for a separate project 15 years ago.
Coast Guard "will no longer classify the swastika, an emblem of fascism and white supremacy inextricably linked to the murder of millions of Jews and that more than 400,000 U.S. troops died fighting against in World War II, as a hate symbol," per new policy taking effect next month wapo.st/3Mbd9a6
U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols
The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”
wapo.st
November 20, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Coast Guard "will no longer classify the swastika, an emblem of fascism and white supremacy inextricably linked to the murder of millions of Jews and that more than 400,000 U.S. troops died fighting against in World War II, as a hate symbol," per new policy taking effect next month wapo.st/3Mbd9a6
Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
Jeffrey Epstein appeared to text with Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) during Michael Cohen's 2019 congressional hearing and may have influenced her questions.
Text message time-stamp match up with hearing video reviewed by The Washington Post.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Text message time-stamp match up with hearing video reviewed by The Washington Post.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
November 14, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Jeffrey Epstein appeared to text with Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) during Michael Cohen's 2019 congressional hearing and may have influenced her questions.
Text message time-stamp match up with hearing video reviewed by The Washington Post.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Text message time-stamp match up with hearing video reviewed by The Washington Post.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
NEW: Epstein appeared to text with House member during Cohen hearing, documents show. Gift link: wapo.st/4nVTnfY
Epstein appeared to text with House member during Cohen hearing, documents show
Newly released documents from the convicted sex offender’s estate include text messages from him that appear to inform the lawmaker’s questions to President Donald Trump’s personal attorney at a 2019 ...
wapo.st
November 14, 2025 at 10:09 PM
NEW: Epstein appeared to text with House member during Cohen hearing, documents show. Gift link: wapo.st/4nVTnfY
