Max Boot
@maxboot.bsky.social
CFR fellow, Washington Post columnist. Pulitzer finalist for biography. Author: REAGAN: HIS LIFE AND LEGEND, NYT bestseller and NYT 10 best books of 2024. Man of many hats. Repost ≠ endorsement. maxboot.net.
Pinned
Another regime change operation….
“The Trump administration has held covert meetings with fringe separatists from Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta as a rift deepens between Washington and Ottawa.” www.ft.com/content/11dc...
“The Trump administration has held covert meetings with fringe separatists from Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta as a rift deepens between Washington and Ottawa.” www.ft.com/content/11dc...
www.ft.com
January 29, 2026 at 1:51 PM
Another regime change operation….
“The Trump administration has held covert meetings with fringe separatists from Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta as a rift deepens between Washington and Ottawa.” www.ft.com/content/11dc...
“The Trump administration has held covert meetings with fringe separatists from Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta as a rift deepens between Washington and Ottawa.” www.ft.com/content/11dc...
“The Trump administration is funneling another country’s oil revenues into handpicked accounts with virtually no oversight,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a statement. “Congress cannot allow Trump to treat Venezuela’s oil profits like his personal slush fund.”
Two global trading houses that brokered an opaque deal with the Trump admin this month to sell Venezuelan oil were previously prosecuted for bribery schemes involving oil sales elsewhere… A senior trader at Vitol donated $6 million to Trump’s 2024 election. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Trump officials awarded Venezuela oil-sale contracts to firms tied to bribery
The Trump administration awarded $500 million in contracts for Venezuelan oil sales to two firms with a history of bribery and corruption.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 29, 2026 at 12:43 PM
“The Trump administration is funneling another country’s oil revenues into handpicked accounts with virtually no oversight,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a statement. “Congress cannot allow Trump to treat Venezuela’s oil profits like his personal slush fund.”
Two global trading houses that brokered an opaque deal with the Trump admin this month to sell Venezuelan oil were previously prosecuted for bribery schemes involving oil sales elsewhere… A senior trader at Vitol donated $6 million to Trump’s 2024 election. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Trump officials awarded Venezuela oil-sale contracts to firms tied to bribery
The Trump administration awarded $500 million in contracts for Venezuelan oil sales to two firms with a history of bribery and corruption.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 29, 2026 at 12:39 PM
Two global trading houses that brokered an opaque deal with the Trump admin this month to sell Venezuelan oil were previously prosecuted for bribery schemes involving oil sales elsewhere… A senior trader at Vitol donated $6 million to Trump’s 2024 election. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
“The Trump administration has shown no interest in democracy anywhere else in the world. Why would they here?” said Smilde, the Tulane professor. “Their plan is to stabilize the country and it’s easy to see how they might not view Machado as part of that plan.” www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Friction emerges between Trump and Venezuelan opposition over Machado’s return
The administration may prefer reliability over democracy in Caracas, worrying advocates for opposition leader María Corina Machado.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 29, 2026 at 12:34 PM
“The Trump administration has shown no interest in democracy anywhere else in the world. Why would they here?” said Smilde, the Tulane professor. “Their plan is to stabilize the country and it’s easy to see how they might not view Machado as part of that plan.” www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Reposted by Max Boot
Why is Tulsi Gabbard, the top intelligence officer in the USG, with the FBI on a raid related to conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. The congressional intelligence committee ought to ask about this.
“.. U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard speaks on the phone while standing inside a vehicle loaded with boxes outside the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center after the FBI executed a search warrant there.”
@reuters.com
@reuters.com
January 29, 2026 at 1:16 AM
Why is Tulsi Gabbard, the top intelligence officer in the USG, with the FBI on a raid related to conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. The congressional intelligence committee ought to ask about this.
My take on the Board of Peace: wapo.st/46dUKAF
January 29, 2026 at 1:45 AM
My take on the Board of Peace: wapo.st/46dUKAF
You know it’s a reputable organization if Belarus is a member
😂
😂
January 29, 2026 at 1:42 AM
You know it’s a reputable organization if Belarus is a member
😂
😂
A tacit admission from Trump that the Iranian nuclear program wasn’t actually “obliterated” by the previous U.S. air strikes (as he claimed at the time).
January 28, 2026 at 2:23 PM
A tacit admission from Trump that the Iranian nuclear program wasn’t actually “obliterated” by the previous U.S. air strikes (as he claimed at the time).
ICE and Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis are kitted out as if they were invading Fallujah. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
The Height of Close-Combat Weaponry Is on This Woman’s Doorstep
www.nytimes.com
January 28, 2026 at 1:51 PM
ICE and Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis are kitted out as if they were invading Fallujah. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
Robert Fico, one of the few EU leaders to frequently support Trump, was concerned about the U.S. president’s “psychological state.” Fico used the word “dangerous” to describe how the president came across during their meeting at Mar-a-Lago on Jan. 17. www.politico.eu/article/dona...
European leader spoke of shock at Trump’s state of mind after Mar-a-Lago meeting
The Slovak PM, a Trump ally, told leaders at last week’s EU summit he was concerned about the way the U.S. president spoke to him, European diplomats said.
www.politico.eu
January 28, 2026 at 1:05 PM
Robert Fico, one of the few EU leaders to frequently support Trump, was concerned about the U.S. president’s “psychological state.” Fico used the word “dangerous” to describe how the president came across during their meeting at Mar-a-Lago on Jan. 17. www.politico.eu/article/dona...
“A Yale University study last year estimated Musk’s political activity cost Tesla sales of more than 1 million vehicles.”
Musk has argued White people are “a rapidly dying minority” and appeared to claim South Africa was better off during apartheid. He has raised repeated alarms about a genocide of White people, echoing white supremacist talking point. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Tesla bet big on Elon Musk. His politics continue to haunt it.
Tesla struggles to regain its footing in the electric vehicle market, hindered by Elon Musk’s political activity, impacting its stock price and performance.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 28, 2026 at 12:27 PM
“A Yale University study last year estimated Musk’s political activity cost Tesla sales of more than 1 million vehicles.”
Musk has argued White people are “a rapidly dying minority” and appeared to claim South Africa was better off during apartheid. He has raised repeated alarms about a genocide of White people, echoing white supremacist talking point. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Tesla bet big on Elon Musk. His politics continue to haunt it.
Tesla struggles to regain its footing in the electric vehicle market, hindered by Elon Musk’s political activity, impacting its stock price and performance.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 28, 2026 at 12:21 PM
Musk has argued White people are “a rapidly dying minority” and appeared to claim South Africa was better off during apartheid. He has raised repeated alarms about a genocide of White people, echoing white supremacist talking point. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Max Boot
Immigrants in the US consumed about 24% fewer welfare and entitlement benefits per capita than native-born Americans in 2023, new Cato Institute research finds.
Learn more from Alex Nowrasteh and Jerome Famularo: https://ow.ly/2w4Z50Y4Bsj
Learn more from Alex Nowrasteh and Jerome Famularo: https://ow.ly/2w4Z50Y4Bsj
January 27, 2026 at 10:29 PM
Immigrants in the US consumed about 24% fewer welfare and entitlement benefits per capita than native-born Americans in 2023, new Cato Institute research finds.
Learn more from Alex Nowrasteh and Jerome Famularo: https://ow.ly/2w4Z50Y4Bsj
Learn more from Alex Nowrasteh and Jerome Famularo: https://ow.ly/2w4Z50Y4Bsj
Hall of Fame setting the standard pretty high … if six Super Bowls as a head coach aren’t enough to get in! www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
Sources: Bill Belichick will not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer
Bill Belichick, the eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach, will not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, sources told ESPN.
www.espn.com
January 28, 2026 at 12:36 AM
Hall of Fame setting the standard pretty high … if six Super Bowls as a head coach aren’t enough to get in! www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
Reposted by Max Boot
CNN airs compilation of federal agents acting with extreme aggression towards peaceful observers.
January 27, 2026 at 3:52 PM
CNN airs compilation of federal agents acting with extreme aggression towards peaceful observers.
Reposted by Max Boot
The Post spoke with eight policing experts who pointed to a sequence of actions by federal immigration officers that go against training guidelines designed to de-escalate potentially volatile situations.
Five moments in the Alex Pretti shooting that raise red flags for policing experts
Policing experts were unanimous in saying that the situation probably could have been avoided by employing basic policing tactics that prioritize public safety and communication.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 27, 2026 at 11:30 PM
The Post spoke with eight policing experts who pointed to a sequence of actions by federal immigration officers that go against training guidelines designed to de-escalate potentially volatile situations.
His attempted occupations of Greenland and Minneapolis backfired. Now this—perhaps the cruelest blow of all for a president who harbors a passionate hatred of windmills. It’s been a rough month for Trump since the capture of Maduro. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/c...
Judge Revives Wind Farm That Trump Halted Off Martha’s Vineyard
www.nytimes.com
January 27, 2026 at 11:32 PM
His attempted occupations of Greenland and Minneapolis backfired. Now this—perhaps the cruelest blow of all for a president who harbors a passionate hatred of windmills. It’s been a rough month for Trump since the capture of Maduro. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/c...
The study, published on Tuesday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said that nearly 1.2 million Russian troops and close to 600,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed or wounded or were missing. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
Troop Casualties in Ukraine War Near 2 Million, Study Finds
www.nytimes.com
January 27, 2026 at 9:35 PM
The study, published on Tuesday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said that nearly 1.2 million Russian troops and close to 600,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed or wounded or were missing. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
Reposted by Max Boot
All power is concentrated in the hands of the chairman. Barring a health crisis, Trump can run the Board of Peace as long as he likes, and he is empowered to choose his own successor. This is a model closer to the Trump Org than to the collective leadership of the UN or NATO. wapo.st/46dUKAF
Opinion | Trump’s Board of Peace is already floundering
Trump’s attempt to rival the U.N., with him in charge, is likely to disappear and be quickly forgotten.
wapo.st
January 27, 2026 at 12:16 PM
All power is concentrated in the hands of the chairman. Barring a health crisis, Trump can run the Board of Peace as long as he likes, and he is empowered to choose his own successor. This is a model closer to the Trump Org than to the collective leadership of the UN or NATO. wapo.st/46dUKAF
So, if this is accurate, the Trump administration wants Ukraine to commit strategic suicide (giving up chain of Donbas fortresses) as the price of getting worthless US security guarantees. What a deal! giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
US links security guarantees for Ukraine to peace deal ceding territory
Washington signalled Kyiv would receive more backing after any withdrawal from the Donbas, say people familiar with talks
giftarticle.ft.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:12 PM
So, if this is accurate, the Trump administration wants Ukraine to commit strategic suicide (giving up chain of Donbas fortresses) as the price of getting worthless US security guarantees. What a deal! giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
From one of the Post’s best, a reporter who breaks story after story, @danlamothe.bsky.social.
Recent news about The Washington Post is alarming, to say the least.
When we cover major news abroad, our national security team works hand in hand with our colleagues overseas.
When we cover unrest in Washington, we rely on our Metro colleagues for insight and street smarts.
When we cover major news abroad, our national security team works hand in hand with our colleagues overseas.
When we cover unrest in Washington, we rely on our Metro colleagues for insight and street smarts.
January 27, 2026 at 4:50 PM
From one of the Post’s best, a reporter who breaks story after story, @danlamothe.bsky.social.
One of my absolute favorites.
Paul Newman, Katharine Ross and Robert Redford “BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID” (1969) dir. George Roy Hill
🎬 20th Century-Fox
🎬 20th Century-Fox
January 27, 2026 at 4:45 PM
One of my absolute favorites.
What could go wrong
ICE officers will be used as security for February’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, despite opposition from Italian government officials.
ICE Will Reportedly Be Used As Security At Winter Olympics
ICE officers will be used as security for February’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, despite opposition from Italian government officials.
www.forbes.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:44 PM
What could go wrong
The U.N. Security Council presumably had no idea, when it approved in November the creation of the Board of Peace, that it was bringing into existence a potential competitor to the United Nations itself. wapo.st/46dUKAF
Opinion | Trump’s Board of Peace is already floundering
Trump’s attempt to rival the U.N., with him in charge, is likely to disappear and be quickly forgotten.
wapo.st
January 27, 2026 at 4:38 PM
The U.N. Security Council presumably had no idea, when it approved in November the creation of the Board of Peace, that it was bringing into existence a potential competitor to the United Nations itself. wapo.st/46dUKAF