Washington
Washington Post’s Taylor Lorenz says Biden ‘war criminal’ post was ‘obvious meme’ after claiming it was edited
Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz is changing her story after initially claiming her “war criminal” post about President Biden was edited.
Lorenz went viral on Thursday after a screenshot of an Instagram post obtained by New York Post reporter Jon Levine showed her taking a selfie at a White House event with Biden in the background with the caption that read “war criminal” along with a frowny face.
“You people will fall for any dumba– edit someone makes,” Lorenz replied to Levine on X.
On Friday, Lorenz not only admitted it was real, she insisted it was a joke.
“I literally never ‘denied it was real,’” Lorenz told one critic on X. She told another that it was an “obvious meme.”
There had been speculation online that Lorenz was making an obscure reference to musician Lucy Dacus, who called former President Obama a “war criminal” on social media last year, also with a frowny face.
Fox News Digital learned that the post was made in an Instagram story specifically using the “close friends” feature as indicated by the green star icon, meaning it was not posted publicly and could only have been seen by a select group of Instagram users of her choosing.
NPR previously reported that “four people with direct knowledge” of the post “confirmed its authenticity.”
“Only about 7 people saw the actual close friends post (I have very few people on CF) and almost all are my normie non-media friends. So [I don’t know] who this guy is talking about [to be honest],” Lorenz reacted to NPR’s reporting.
A spokesperson for The Washington Post previously told Fox News Digital, “We’re aware of the alleged social media post and are looking into it” and has not commented further.
Lorenz did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Biden has been repeatedly attacked by the far-left for his handling of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, with many deriding him as “Genocide Joe” for continuing to provide military aid to the Jewish State following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Lorenz, known for her far-left opinions, is a fierce critic of Israel.
Lorenz has a long history of sparking controversy on social media, as well as in her reporting tactics.
Washington
Worker killed by falling tree in Washington County
A contract worker was killed by a falling tree on Monday afternoon in Washington County, officials said.
The Washington County Office of the Coroner said in a news release that the contractor was killed after the tree fell on them around 4 p.m. The worker, who was not immediately identified, was hired to cut down a tree at a residence on Lynn Portal Road in Canton Township, and it fell in an unintended direction, killing the person, the coroner said.
No other information was immediately released on Monday evening. The Greene-Washington Regional Police Department and the coroner are investigating.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Washington
My Case Against the Washington Post Goes to Arbitration This Week
On September 11, 2025, after 11 years at the Washington Post as an editor and columnist, I was fired via email.
In the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk killing, I did what I have always done— and was expected to do — as a public voice and columnist on race, gender, and culture: I commented on America’s racial double standards in public discourse when it comes to political violence. You can read my posts below.
And then this post of mine:
The very next day, I was fired from my job at the Washington Post without so much as a conversation.
According to the termination letter from the Post, the company cited these two Bluesky posts, claimed that I disparaged white men, accused me of ‘gross misconduct’, and that my Bluesky posts “potentially endanger[ed] the physical safety of our staff”.
You can read the letter for yourself here.
In October, along with the Washington Post Guild and the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, we filed a grievance against the Post, challenging the termination.
So, I have some updates…
The arbitration hearing will be this Thursday, June 4, in Washington, D.C.
As the last remaining Black full-time staff columnist in the Washington Post’s Opinions section, I was very aware of what my firing represented for diversity in newsrooms.
While newsroom diversity is absolutely critical, it is not the only principle at stake. I am fighting for journalists’ rights to do their jobs, to comment on matters of public concern without fear of censorship, retaliation, or political pressure.
And this is a battle well worth having.
I am thankful for the support of the Washington Post Guild, my lawyers at the Washington Baltimore News Guild, as well as Norman Eisen and the legal support from the Democracy Defenders Fund.
And of course, I am deeply grateful to my readers, followers, friends, mentors, and the industry peers who have supported me throughout my career and through what has been one of the most personally and professionally challenging periods of my life.
The stakes are high, but I’m ready.
Let’s go.
-Karen
Washington
Selesnick, Azorius Momo, Wins Washington DC Regional Championship
Jordan Selesnick won the Regional Championship at SCG CON Washington DC with Azorius Momo on Sunday.
Creatures (25)
Lands (21)
In a field packed with Izzet Prowess and Mono-Green Landfall, Selesnick put the power of Azorius Momo on display — proving the power of strong metagaming and mulligan decisions. Selesnick regularly dug for better opening hands in tight matchups, allowing his deck to have starts similar to those in Modern as opposed to Standard. After an 8-1 start on Day 1, Selesnick cruised to the No. 1 seed in the Top 8 with a record of 12-1-2.
Once in the Top 8, Selesnick only dropped a single game in route to a dominant performance. He defeated Stephen Snelson, on Izzet Spellementals, 2-1 in the quarters before clean 2-0 wins against Alexander Kans, on Selesnya Aggro, and Matt Xu, on Mono-Green Landfall.

Selesnick showed off both types of powerful draws the Momo deck can have in the finals, blinking a Quantum Riddler into play on Turn 2 in Game 1, and landing a copied Sage of the Skies on Turn 2 in Game 2. With the fast starts and utility offered from Starfield Shepherd, Selesnick had no problem navigating the mid-games for fast wins facing down strong starts from Xu.
Creatures (20)
Lands (26)
Selesnick took home $20,000 and the title of champion, while Xu earned $10,000. The Top 32 finishers earned invites to the upcoming Pro Tour in Amsterdam, though Selesnick and Xu also punched their tickets to the Magic World Championship.
Izzet Prowess made up almost 25 percent of the 1,198 players on Day 1, followed by Four-Color Control at 10 percent, thanks to its strong showing in the most recent Regional Championships. Mono-Green Landfall was next at just under nine percent, while Mardu Discard and Dimir Excruciator rounded out the Top 5 decks.

Day 2 consisted of 285 players that reached 18 match points on Day 1. See how the archetypes converted below.

View the Top 8 decklists from the Regional Championship. For all the decklists from the event and final standings check out the Melee page for the tournament.

SCG CON will be back in action next in Las Vegas on June 26-28.
-
Los Angeles, Ca56 minutes agoJurors to decide who's financially responsible for Iskander boys' deaths
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoTeen injured after shooting in Detroit, police looking for suspect
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoSan Francisco ‘adult supremacy’ workshop brands teachers as oppressors — as fringe trend spreads in California schools
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoHere’s To You: Class of 2026 grads
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoFamily displaced after car crashes into southwest Miami-Dade home, leaving structure unlivable
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoRed Sox, Craig Breslow Under Fire From Ex-Boston Pitcher’s Dad
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoBroncos’ Salary Cap Picture Just Got a Lot Better
-
Seattle, WA2 hours ago
Melinda French Gates, ex-wife of Bill Gates, to join Seattle Kraken as minority investor