I write about U.S. national security, with a particular focus on U.S. military affairs and counterterrorism issues overseas. I have written extensively on security matters in the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and Europe.
My Background
I have been a reporter at The New York Times for 40 years — starting as a news assistant and working my way up to cover the U.S. military, counterterrorism and other national security issues for more than three decades. I have covered every conflict involving the U.S. military since the 1991 Persian Gulf war, and reported extensively from Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa and the Middle East. I have shared four Pulitzer Prizes. I got my start reporting on local education at the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick, Wash.
I am the co-author of “Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda.” I earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Williams College, studied in Madrid for a year and was a journalism fellow at Stanford University. I was born in Minneapolis and reared in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Journalistic Ethics
Keeping my sources protected is a top priority for me, especially during sensitive or high-risk stories. I strive to be accurate and fair in my coverage, no matter what the subject. And, like all Times journalists, I follow the standards in our Ethical Journalism Handbook.
I don’t back away from difficult stories, and will give subjects a chance to comment and express their side of a story.
I do not participate in politics, nor do I make political donations. I am always careful to identify myself as a reporter for The Times in news-related conversations.
Several thousand North Korean soldiers have arrived in Russia’s western Kursk region, where they are expected to support Moscow’s efforts to dislodge invading Ukrainian forces.
Thousands of soldiers from an elite unit of the Korean People’s Army began arriving on Wednesday and are expected to try to help expel Ukrainian forces from Russian territory.
By Michael Schwirtz, Julian E. Barnes and Eric Schmitt
The Israeli military struck targets in the port city of Tyre on Wednesday, the latest phase of a bombardment campaign against the militant group Hezbollah.
By Euan Ward, Michael Crowley, Aaron Boxerman and Thomas Fuller
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III called the situation “very, very serious,” though he said that what the soldiers were doing in Russia was “left to be seen.”
By Eric Schmitt, David E. Sanger and Anatoly Kurmanaev
North Korea’s supply of munitions has already been critical to the Russian war effort. Now, its troops appear to be poised to join the fight in Ukraine.
The move, confirmed by a Pentagon official, is in line with a U.S. policy change aimed at shoring up Ukraine’s ability to fight the war against Russia with its own weapons.
Israel and Hezbollah say they will keep up attacks in an escalating conflict that has devastated Gaza, is causing misery in Lebanon and could draw Iran deeper into the fighting.
By Euan Ward, Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Thomas Fuller
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system was in place, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said on Monday. The deployment comes as Israel prepares for retaliatory attacks against Iran.
Peace talks were nowhere in sight and, despite Yahya Sinwar’s death, the violence seemed only to increase, as Israel struck northern Gaza and Hezbollah fired dozens of projectiles.
The findings of a review of the attempted assassination of Donald J. Trump in July are stark but familiar, underscoring the challenge of overhauling the agency.
The warning was conveyed in a letter sent Sunday to two top Israeli officials that included the possibility of a cutoff of U.S. military aid, officials said.
Moscow’s forces have been recapturing some villages and land taken in a Ukrainian incursion into Russia. The advances could undermine Kyiv’s hopes of pushing Russia to the negotiating table.
The Pentagon announced it would send the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery and its crew as Israel considered retaliatory attacks against Iran.
Susie Wiles, a top Trump campaign adviser, was in contact with the White House chief of staff and the head of the Secret Service seeking military assets and other steps.
By Kate Kelly, Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan and Eileen Sullivan
For 22 years, Israeli forces have planned for this moment. But it seems unlikely that they will strike Iran’s nuclear facilities in the next round of retaliation, or that they would be successful without American help.
By David E. Sanger, Eric Schmitt and Ronen Bergman
Israel seems ready to respond in a much more forceful and public way with Iran after Tehran launched its second massive missile attack on Israel this year, analysts and officials say.
By Patrick Kingsley, Eric Schmitt and Ronen Bergman
The 180 missiles fired at Israel on Tuesday evening sharply escalated the conflict between the two countries and threatened to engulf the Middle East in all-out war.
By Patrick Kingsley, Aaron Boxerman, Ronen Bergman, Eric Schmitt and Farnaz Fassihi
The Lebanese militia is seeking more weapons from Iran, the officials said. It has yet to fire large barrages at Israel, and its top ranks have been crippled by Israeli strikes.
A Times analysis of video from the Israeli military shows that at least eight planes it said were used in the attack on Hassan Nasrallah were armed with bunker-buster bombs.