Tawnell Hobbs

The Quiet Unraveling of the Man Who Almost Killed Trump

Deep-dive into the Trump shooter by Steve Eder and @tawnell.bsky.social - my takeaway is that young men desperately need deep friendships.

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/u...

The Quiet Unraveling of the Man Who Almost Killed Trump

The @nytimes.com obtained homemade videos of Thomas Crooks, the meek, nerdy young man with a “passion for cooking with my family” — who then began building bombs and nearly killed Donald Trump. @tawnell.bsky.social @virginiahughes.bsky.social 🎁🔗 www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/u...

The Quiet Unraveling of the Man Who Almost Killed Trump

A MUST READ: Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump, used aliases and encrypted networks to carry out the attack – all while his mind unraveled. The fullest picture yet of Crooks’s life! www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/u...

Did You Shoot Somebody in Self-Defense? There’s an Insurance Policy for That Rise in gun ownership and stand-your-ground laws drives a lucrative new market to insulate shooters from criminal and civil liability.

My last story at the WSJ. It’s a good one — give it a read! www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...

Thank you!!

Tawnell Hobbs Joins The Times | The New York Times Company

Some personal news: I have joined The New York Times investigations team!

The Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His ‘Legion’ of Babies—and Their Mothers The world’s richest man juggles more than a dozen children and ‘harem drama’ along with running his companies and advising Trump. He recently took a paternity test in a battle with one woman over mone...

Must read: This is a wild story about Elon Musk! (Free link) www.wsj.com/politics/elo...

Exclusive | Draft of Trump Executive Order Aims to Eliminate Education Department Secretary Linda McMahon would be directed to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure” based on “the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.”

EXCLUSIVE: WSJ obtains draft of Trump executive order eliminating the Education Department.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Exclusive | Columbia Hires Mike Pompeo, Trump’s Former Secretary of State, to Teach Diplomacy Elite schools face pressure to show they are open to conservative ideas.

Exclusive: Columbia University hires Mike Pompeo

Jan. 6 Rioters Argue Pardons Apply to Charges Including Murder Plot, Child Porn Defendants are arguing that President Trump’s pardon for offenses related to the storming of the Capitol should also absolve them of other alleged crimes, some discovered during Jan. 6 investigations.

Jan. 6 rioters argue pardons apply to charges including murder plot, child porn, etc. Dozens of defendants help compile and publicize the names of those who had a hand in their convictions.

Exclusive | Vance Wields Threat of Sanctions, Military Action to Push Putin Into Ukraine Deal In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the vice president said Ukraine must have “sovereign independence.”

Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. would hit Moscow with sanctions and potentially military action if Putin won’t agree to a peace deal with Ukraine that guarantees Kyiv long-term independence

DEI Didn’t Change the Workforce All That Much. A Look at 13 Million Jobs. Diversity, equity and inclusion policies haven’t radically changed who advances up the corporate ladder, a Wall Street Journal analysis found.

Anslysis: “…Black and Hispanic employees still make up a small fraction of executive and other higher-paid professional jobs. In 2023, one in 20 senior managers was Black—less than half the share of Black workers in the broader U.S. workforce. Hispanic managers make up a similar share...”

Trump’s Gaza Takeover Proposal Splinters MAGA Base The White House tried to sell a skeptical Republican Party and foreign policy establishment on taking over the Palestinian enclave.

MAGA base splintered over Trump's Gaza proposal takeover (free link)

How Migrant Groups Are Thwarting ICE As agents arrive in Chicago and other cities, elaborate operations are springing into action—aiming to hinder authorities.

How migrant groups are thwarting ICE (free link)

Former Sen. Bob Menendez Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison The decision capped the New Jersey lawmaker’s extraordinary downfall after a half-century political career.

Former Sen. Bob Menendez Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison

Trump Administration Rescinds Order to Freeze Federal Aid Funding White House memo prompted widespread chaos in Washington before being temporarily blocked by a federal judge.

BREAKING: The Trump administration rescinded its order to pause potentially trillions of dollars in federal grants, loans and other financial-assistance programs

Trump Offers Buyouts to Federal Employees in Bid to Cut Workforce Staffers would be paid for eight months if they resign rather than return to the office full time.

The White House gave federal workers a choice: return to the office full time or resign and get paid for the next eight months.

Judge Blocks Trump’s Federal-Assistance Freeze After Chaos Over Medicaid, Other Funding White House sought to pause billions of dollars in federal assistance..

Trump's federal-assistance freeze blocked.

Freed Jan. 6 Convicts Are Back on the Street and Ready to Help Trump Some in law enforcement fear a surge in violence by far-right groups; Proud Boys leader jokes he could serve in the cabinet as ‘Secretary of Retaliation.’

Jan. 6ers are out and ready to help Trump.

Checked TikTok around 1 a.m. CT and got this message…

You Blamed DEI for Hurting Your Career. Now What? For people who pin their failures on diversity, corporate America’s DEI retreat removes a barrier—or maybe an excuse.

Good article on DEI.

Americans Are Tipping Less Than They Have in Years Frustration with rising menu prices and ubiquitous tip prompts lead to a six-year low.

Americans are tipping less at restaurants than they have in at least six years

Trump Becomes First Former President Sentenced for Felony The judge handed down a sentence of unconditional discharge, which carries no punishment.

HISTORY: Trump is first former president sentenced to a felony

‘I Only Knew How to Do One Thing’: New Year’s Violence Resurrects the Dark Side of Military Life The New Orleans attack and Las Vegas explosion, by men tied to the Army, have raised alarms about the pressures faced by service members.

“What do I do? I only knew how to do one thing. I knew how to blow stuff up, and I knew how to kill people.” My latest…

In Two Attacks, a Pair of Unraveling Lives and Remaining Mysteries New Orleans and Las Vegas grapple with the aftermath of deadly incidents; suicide note is recovered from exploded Tesla.

Unraveling lives and remaining mysteries...

House Ethics Report Says Matt Gaetz Regularly Paid Women For Sex The 37-page report said Gaetz regularly paid women, including a 17-year-old girl, for sex since he was elected in 2017 until 2020.

The House Ethics Committee released an explosive report detailing its investigation of sexual-misconduct allegations against ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz.

America’s Private Prison Complex Gears Up for Trump Deportation Bonanza Private prisons and detention-services providers are getting ready to cash in on the expected largest domestic deportation operation in U.S. history.

Private prison complexes are gearing up for Trump’s mass deportation effort — and exploring the controversial practice of detaining unaccompanied minors.

A chart shows how the House voted on Thursday on a bill to avoid a government shutdown. 197 Democrats voted against, and two for it. 172 Republicans voted yes, with 38 against. A headline reads: "Dozens of House Republicans Defied Trump on Bill To Avoid a Shutdown"

Thirty-eight House Republicans resisted President-elect Trump's command to support a spending and debt deal, showing that at least some of his followers are willing to buck his leadership in the right circumstances. See how every House member voted here. nyti.ms/3VOsmzW

Tracking Putin’s Most Feared Secret Agency—From Inside a Russian Prison and Beyond The spy unit that arrested a Wall Street Journal reporter is leading the biggest campaign of internal repression since the Stalin era.

A MUST READ: WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich helps identify the spy unit behind his wrongful detainment in Russian. He never stopped reporting, and neither did his colleagues. @wsj.com

How to Make $100 an Hour Scratching Someone’s Back Professional scratchers say they help people achieve a level of relaxation that is beyond the reach of a spouse or wooden spoon

Professional scratchers… yep, it’s a thing!