Joel Achenbach

Donald Trump and George Washington Have Some Surprising Traits in Common. There’s One Gigantic Difference. Washington desperately wanted to be a great man, and to be remembered as such.

New at @slate.com : My Presidents Day essay on why Trump is no George Washington slate.com/news-and-pol...

Washington Post C.E.O. Will Lewis Steps Down After Stormy Tenure

from the NYT: 'Katie Mettler, a former chair of the Washington Post guild, said: “I’m glad Will Lewis has been fired. I wish it had happened before he fired all my friends.”'

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/t...

Hannah Natanson and colleagues have done amazing Pulitzer-worthy work the past 366 days. Seized materials “contain years of information about past and current confidential sources and other unpublished newsgathering materials."

Washington Post demands government return materials seized from reporter The Post demanded in a court filing Wednesday that federal law enforcement officials return electronic devices the government seized from a staff reporter’s home.

WaPo court filing: "The outrageous seizure of our reporter’s confidential newsgathering materials chills speech, cripples reporting + inflicts irreparable harm.. The government seized this proverbial haystack in an attempt to locate a needle." www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

I am The Post’s ‘federal government whisperer.’ It’s been brutal. One reporter’s effort to show how Trump was transforming government brought her 1,168 new sources — and nearly broke her.

Gift link to FBI-targeted Post reporter Hannah Natanson's sweeping look at how federal workers have been targeted by Trump. wapo.st/49BQBrh

FBI executes search warrant at Washington Post reporter’s home The reporter, Hannah Natanson, covers the federal workforce and has been part of The Post’s most sensitive coverage of the first year of the second Trump administration.

A new outrage — and an assault on the media. Hannah Natanson has broken scoop after scoop on Trump’s destruction of the US government —> FBI executes search warrant at Washington Post reporter’s home. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

YouTube video by Nonzero NASA’s Plans for the Moon and Mars | Robert Wright & Joel Achenbach

There's nothing quite like a conversation with @joelachenbach.bsky.social, as I am reminded every time I have a conversation with @joelachenbach.bsky.social. You can watch the latest example here or listen to it on the @nonzeronews.bsky.social podcast.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IDL...

I can’t recommend this enough.

UNBREAKING, a new project from @lizneeley.bsky.social & co, documents & explains our many concurrent institutional collapses.

It’s beautifully executed work, full of intellectual & moral clarity. 3 pages are live, more will come. It’s SO GOOD, & I learned so much.

This piece by my fellow space nerd and ex-Postie launches as a breakdown of why NASA's planned return to the Moon looks like such a mess right now and then ascends on a trajectory to a grand unified theory of why space exploration matters to all of us on the good Earth.

It May Be the Literal Key to Human Destiny. Under Trump, It’s the Greatest Disaster It’s Ever Been. What happened to NASA?

Officially, America is supposed to land on the moon again in 2027. Ask anyone inside NASA under President Convicted Felon, and you will hear a different story: “It’s like we’re tossing the crown jewels in the Thames.” slate.com/technology/2... via @joelachenbach.bsky.social

It May Be the Literal Key to Human Destiny. Under Trump, It’s the Greatest Disaster It’s Ever Been. What happened to NASA?

If you're looking for a great read on the state of our space programs -- Moon, Mars, asteroids, robot probes, and don't forget the Oort Cloud -- check out this gem from @joelachenbach.bsky.social: slate.com/technology/2...

It May Be the Literal Key to Human Destiny. Under Trump, It’s the Greatest Disaster It’s Ever Been. What happened to NASA?

We're going back to the moon! But...Space is hard. Here's my new essay for Slate on NASA and Artemis and Starship and The Conquest of Space and human destiny and that kinda thing. YMMV. Warning, it's long. slate.com/technology/2...

It May Be the Literal Key to Human Destiny. Under Trump, It’s the Greatest Disaster It’s Ever Been. What happened to NASA?

Next piece has arrived! Worked on it all fall. Space! NASA. The moon. Where do we go from here? (Spoiler: We mostly stay home.) slate.com/technology/2...

Thank you! I enjoy writing for PAW, it has excellent editors and an appreciative readership. I'm hoping to keep writing despite being a pensioner. I'm two months shy of 65 and not quite ready to stick to gardening and wandering the woods.

A Million Miles Away NASA’s new IMAP mission, developed at Princeton, aims to reveal more about the bubble that protects our solar system

I retired from WaPo but kept typing and here's my first piece, on NASA's IMAP mission, the nature of the heliosphere, and our solar system's journey through the galaxy. paw.princeton.edu/article/imap...

Hi! Thanks for the kind words. You know I retired, right? I am done. Pensioner. I am almost 65 and it seemed a propitious time to take the latest buyout. But I'm still typing a bit...You haven't heard the last from me. Thanks much...Cheers

COVID Revisionism Has Gone Too Far If the center and left succumb to the view that “nothing worked,” no one will remain to defend sensible public-health measures the next time a pandemic comes around.

COVID revisionists see the public-health response to the pandemic as a failure. But they fail to get the full picture—and that might leave us even less prepared for the next pandemic, Rogé Karma argues.

Extreme Home Makeover: White House Edition This old, fly-infested building needs some work.

'the “White House,” needs work! .. William Henry Harrison took one look at it and decided death was preferable. James Madison presided over some free demolition work that was paid for entirely by Britain." From the great @petridishes.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

Thank you Sarah! Love JWST and Hubble stories. Thank you, scientists, for explaining stuff to me! And being patient when I said "I don't understand, can you explain that again." I am taking some down time but then will freelance fyi. Thanks again for the kind note. Best, Joel

Opinion | How a fluke trivia question at age 17 changed the course of my life An occupation writing sentences as a journalist for 47 years feels like a miracle.

This is a masterpiece from someone who has written a lot of them. I'll miss seeing DVD columns in the WaPo www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

The Hubble telescope zooms in on the galaxy next door. Explore it like never before. A decade of observations by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has produced the sharpest and most detailed images of the Andromeda galaxy. Zoom in and explore.

One of these days I want to see the Andromeda Galaxy with my own eyes. In the meantime this will do: An extraordinary mosaic produced by the Hubble telescope. My colleagues at WaPo crafted this splendid visual story. Take the tour, zoom in, explore: www.washingtonpost.com/science/inte...

The world is grim right now, but the universe is still full of wonder. I'm always grateful to @joelachenbach.bsky.social for reminding me of that fact. www.washingtonpost.com/science/inte...

Trump officials halt ‘dangerous’ research, overriding NIH career scientists The Trump administration’s actions on NIH gain-of-function research have raised concerns among scientists, who argue the move could block experiments that are safe and potentially lead to new treatmen...

New & scoopy: Documents obtained by WaPo show political appointee overruled NIH career experts after Trump-mandated biosafety review @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social @hannahnatanson.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...

Trump’s NASA budget could cede solar system to China, scientists warn As the administration slashes spending on science, NASA is running low on new missions.

For another take on this problem beyond my @theatlantic.com piece, here is a great article in the @washingtonpost.com by @joelachenbach.bsky.social nbach.bsky.social

www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...

Trump’s NASA budget could cede solar system to China, scientists warn As the administration slashes spending on science, NASA is running low on new missions.

Our latest story on Trump's cuts to NASA science, as former NASA officials sound the alarm. Plus an ode to the aging hardware that can still get the job done but could soon go silent. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...

True! I miss Tropic! Fortunately Weingarten and Barry are substacking up a storm.

See images from the Rubin telescope and world’s largest digital camera The Rubin telescope, featuring a 3,200-megapixel camera, promises to see more galaxies than ever before.

Behold the universe, courtesy of the Rubin telescope...and our nifty template for pretty pictures. www.washingtonpost.com/science/inte...

White House expected to pull NASA nominee Isaacman Jared Isaacman was set for a vote next week, but now the president may yank his nomination.

🟡 SCOOP: The White House is likely to pull the nomination of Jared Isaacman to be the next NASA administrator, just days before he was set to receive a confirmation vote in the Senate.

Amid DOGE-induced turmoil, National Science Foundation in crisis The $9 billion agency, which exists solely to fund researchers, projects and facilities outside its Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters, is hitting reverse on its mission.

Amid DOGE-induced turmoil, National Science Foundation in crisis: $9 billion agency, which funds researchers, projects and facilities, is hitting reverse on its mission, by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social @joelachenbach.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025... via @washingtonpost.com

ICE, DOGE seek sensitive Medicare data as immigration crackdown intensifies It’s unclear how many immigrants ICE is seeking addresses for and how much data would be available as Medicare does not cover undocumented immigrants.

SCOOP: ICE, DOGE are asking to use sensitive Medicare claims data to find the addresses of immigrants the government says are here illegally, as the Trump administration's immigration crackdown intensifies, w/ @rachelroubein.bsky.social @ddiamond.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...