Plymouth Rock has to be one of the most unremarkable artifacts of American history.
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Lawrence Wright
@lawrence_wright
Staff writer for The New Yorker. Author of The Looming Tower, Going Clear, and God Save Texas. Screenwriter, playwright, keyboard player for Austin band WhoDo.
Lawrence Wright’s Tweets
I never had a source assaulted in front of me until today when an Israeli soldier who stopped my interview did this with a Palestinian peace activist Issa Amro in Hebron. I can't stop thinking how dehumanizing the occupation is on the young soldiers charged with enforcing it.
Steven Weinberg, the 1979 Nobel laureate for physics, died today. A delightful companion who loved theater, he could recite the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins by heart, and wrote profoundly about the mysteries of creation. He loved life and left it reluctantly. He’ll be missed.
The IDF misrepresented what led to this. The soldier initiated the encounter, Amro did not curse him only asked to call his commander. Nothing to justify the violent assault that followed.
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Today ,February 13th.
I was detained and beaten violently by an Israeli soldier in Hebron. I was showing the famous American writer lawrence wright @NewYorker @lawrence_wright the Israeli occupation and apartheid in my home town #Hebron.
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The IDF is misrepresenting what led to assault on peace activist Issa Amro in Hebron yesterday. The soldier initiated the encounter. Amro did not curse or interfere only asked that he call the commander. Nothing to justify the attack that followed.
I want to thank Barbara Debeuckelaere for those courageous videos of the assault on Issa Amro in Hebron yesterday. She may have saved his life.
Before the assault the other soldiers were afraid to intervene although I warned them it was getting out of hand.
The New Yorker is republishing my Zawahiri piece, "The Man Behind bin-Laden, from 2002. It took another 20 years to find the reason to bring it back. This is the story of how and why AQ arose.
I'm honored by the support of my colleagues. What a privilege to be a part of The New Yorker and write for it in this crucial moment in our history. twitter.com/praddenkeefe/s
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To readers asking for clarification about Iran assisting 9/11 hijackers. There was a brief flirtation in the early 90's when a few AQ trained with Iran-backed Hezbollah. Some AQ members took refuge in Iran after 9/11. No assistance to the 19 hijackers (not 12 as VP Pence stated).
After Jamal Khashoggi was tortured and murdered it is deeply galling to see his character assassinated by Donald Trump Jr.
The Unabomber reached out. Thanks, Ted, you're not nuts at all.
My memories of the man who has become a martyr for free speech. newyorker.com/news/daily-com
Why do reviewers keep calling me a liberal? I don't subscribe to any ideology. I'm in my own party, the APP - Anti-Partisan Pragmatists. You're welcome to join.
I think the lowly status of women in Saudi society contributed to the failure of the apparent hit squad to cover their tracks. There was a witness standing outside, in plain view, but she was only a woman.
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.@lawrence_wright
thinks that whoever is behind the disappearance and possible death of #JamalKashoggi didn't factor in one thing: the Saudi journalist's fiancée.
"They just didn't consider her being important," Wright told #cbcthecurrent: cbc.ca/1.4859179
As close to a saint as they come.
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Take a moment to remember a great American, Kayla Mueller, who 9 years ago today was kidnapped, & ultimately executed by, ISIS. She was a dedicated humanitarian, with an open mind & an enormous heart who only wanted to ease the suffering of others & make the world a better place.
A friend in Bethlehem found this in a flea market. It celebrates Carter’s historic Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt. Thinking of him as he enters hospice.
I'm getting a lot of praise for "The Plague Year," but it should be shared with my colleagues , including my beloved fact-checkers, and especially Daniel Zalewski, my long-time editor (18 years). Thanks to all.
Our doc about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi is coming out on Oct. 2, the second anniversary of his death. Rick Rowley directs, Alex Gibney produces. We will not forget.
We’re living through the weirdest slow-motion catastrophe in Texas, with no power, grocery stores with three hour waits and no food, and no answers about when it ends. Fortunately we have friends with heat.
This is one of the most remarkable political documents I've ever seen.
I miss my friend #JamalKhashoggi, as does everyone who knew him. But few people's deaths have done so much to shift the world in a better direction. Thank you, Jamal, for your terrible sacrifice.
I found it on our doorstep in Dallas the day JFK came to town.
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Radical Right handbill handed out in Dallas, November 1963, falsely claiming that JFK was “Wanted For Treason”:
Opening the state too quickly led to this.
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Ali Soufan, an American hero, is threatened by the Saudis. This has to have a response.
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In an interview with @northjersey, our founder @Ali_H_Soufan discusses the death threats by Al Qaida and the online attacks launched by a mysterious group of Saudi operatives. He also tells why he doesn't intend to remain quiet.
njherald.com/news/20200904/
How much does a gun have to smoke before it becomes the Smoking Gun? nyti.ms/2DWW1zU?smid=n
This was the gift bin Laden gave the Taliban that obligated them to protect him after 9/11.
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16 years ago today: Al Qaeda's assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud (Lion Of Panjshir) signaled the kickoff of the 9/11 terror operation.
I was fortunate tonight to win my 3d National Magazine Award for reporting. It's for the article that became my book "The Plague Year." I'm so grateful to my colleagues at The New Yorker who made this happen.
Friends, if Dan Luzadder contacts you claiming to be a reporter working on a story about me, be advised he's actually a PI working for Scientology trying to dig up dirt.
It starts with mutual respect.
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The president of the US this evening paid a visit to the apartment of Bob Dole, who three times sought that office and was the GOP nominee in 1996. At 97, Dole has Stage 4 lung cancer and starts treatment Monday. Imagine what it meant to him to have this show of respect.
this is the best.
Without accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, why should MBS fear justice?
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This is disturbing: an American hero who fought against terrorism and torture for the FBI may now be in the crosshairs of the same thugs who killed Jamal Khashoggi. Watch 
youtu.be/-CD-hoT7XUI
youtu.be/-CD-hoT7XUIAll these attacks by Scientology on my Twitter feed have certainly bumped up my following. Many thanks!
My big Texas piece comes out tomorrow in The New Yorker. "The Future is Texas."
how surprised are we? #JamalKhashoggi
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman authorized a secret campaign to silence dissenters — which included the surveillance, kidnapping, detention and torture of Saudi citizens — more than a year before the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. nytimes.com/2019/03/17/wor via @nytimes
Yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of the murder of . Showtime has dropped the paywall for the doc I worked on with director Rick Rowley. Hope you'll watch and remember.
We won’t be quiet about the murder of #JamalKhashoggi and the corruption of American foreign policy in the Middle East. twitter.com/janscheelar/st
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A timely reminder: Al-Qaeda on 9/11 had about 400 members. Now, 30-40,000. cfr.org/expert-brief/a
Both ISIS and Al-Qaeda are stronger than they were in the past. It's an illusion that the age of terror is behind us.
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That's literally the opposite of what @brett_mcgurk, the former Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, told me yesterday: "ISIS is NOT defeated." edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2
This has been a brutal race, exposing sides of America no one wants to see. But I've spent much of my career in places where people don't have the chance to exercise their opinion, much less their vote. Take advantage today of the great privilege of living in a democracy.
At last real books have arrived. Now for the little ritual every author knows, putting it on the shelf with its cousins.
This is a painful but true observation.
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An important element of this episode is that normal, ordinary people around the world now understand how normal, ordinary Arabs have felt during the past 5 decades of authoritarian governments that treat their citizens like idiots or sheep, almost always with foreign support. twitter.com/KarenAttiah/st…
It could be that this story begins to redefine Trump, Fox, and America.
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Worth noting that the Fox reporter in question, @JenGriffinFNC, is well-sourced, non-partisan & deeply respected by her colleagues in the Pentagon press corps. twitter.com/JacquiHeinrich…
Friends, I hope you'll watch this doc about my friend Jamal Khashoggi this Friday on Showtime. The paywall has been dropped for the premiere.
My forthcoming novel about Texas politics, which is always in danger of being overshadowed by the lunatic reality. The inimitable Barry Blitt did the cover, which I love.
No Texas writer is unchanged by the work of Larry McMurtry. He pulled Texas literature out of the rut it had been in since the dime novels. He wrote about Texas leaving the frontier behind, and then he recreated the myth.
Few people have molded a community around him the way Willie has done with Austin.
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God bless this great man @WillieNelson — recipient tonight of the LBJ Liberty and Justice for All Award #txlege
The truth about Scientology might never have told without Mike’s courageous testimony.
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My wonderful friend @MikeRinder has shared some important news on his blog.
He has advanced esophageal cancer.
Mike is not only friend, but one of my heroes and a big reason I fight to expose Scientology's abuses.
Please send him your love and support.
mikerindersblog.org/a-new-challeng
And I’m working frantically on the copy edit.
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Today, we are pleased to share the cover of THE PLAGUE YEAR by @lawrence_wright—a momentous account of COVID-19: its origins, its myriad repercussions, and the ongoing fight to contain it
(
: bit.ly/37DfymR)
Coming June 8, 2021
: bit.ly/37DfymR)
Coming June 8, 2021
MBS and henchmen: Do not touch this man.
As the 17th anniversary of 9/11 rolls around, here's my take on how America has changed.
H.E.B. is one of Texas's great treasures, because you can always count on it in a crisis.
On the occasion of the publication of my new book, a friend gave me coronavirus.
Blockbuster revelations about events that led to murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Thanks to the intrepid .
Please watch and remember Jamal. Showtime has dropped the paywall till the end of the month.
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KINGDOM OF SILENCE is a brilliant and profoundly moving film about #JamalKhashoggi, Saudi Arabia, and the struggle for political freedom. Absolutely essential.
Thank you director Rick Rowley, producer @potter_black, and @Showtime for this beautiful film. youtu.be/T5MlpQgwHY0
A fraudulent account has been set up in my name, LawrenceWright@mail.com, soliciting information from sources about the Church of Scientology. You can guess who is behind it. Please do not respond to queries from that address.
It’s a race with Texas.
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Film maker @donwinslow compares @GovRonDeSantis handling of #COVID19 in #Florida to Gen. William Westmoreland + Robert McNamara's bungling and lying in the Vietnam War.
58,200 Americans died in Vietnam over 11 yr war.
47,000 Floridians have died to COVID over 18 months. twitter.com/donwinslow/sta…
My conversation with David Remnick concerning my eerily timed forthcoming novel about a pandemic.
My very interesting conversation with Sam Harris. samharris.org/podcast/item/t
Now just a matter of writing the damn thing. abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/
The five families of reporters and aid workers captured in Syria. Most emotional piece I've ever done.
Who are we?
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New covid-19 deaths, yesterday:
France: 18
Australia: 14
Spain: 12
UK: 11
Japan: 10
Germany: 8
Canada: 5
USA: 1,120
A nice surprise this morning: "God Save Texas" nominated for National Book Critics Circle award as best nonfiction. bookcritics.org/blog/archive/n
This is a delightful surprise- a quote from Tom Hanks.
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"Wright’s awesome imagination is matched by his authenticity. The End of October is prescient and stunning."
—@tomhanks, on THE END OF OCTOBER by @lawrence_wright
Jamal Khashoggi was not alone. Journalists all over world are persecuted, jailed, and murdered. Just received a copy of Murder on the Malta Express about the killing of reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia who wrote about Panama Papers. Excited to read. #daphnecaruanagalizia.
Thanks to Michelle Goldberg and the NYT for this advance review. She's right: I just listened to the experts and envisioned the nightmare they knew was coming.
All right, we landed the big fish, Jeff Daniels, for Looming Tower. What an honor.
I hoped to never have to pull out my WGA strike shirt but here we go again.
"the monster behind the door was not the kid. It’s the rifle the kid is holding." The real story of the Uvalde massacre. Good work
Memories flooding in today, all the people I met along the way. Those in the FBI and CIA who tried so hard but failed to stop the attack. The jihadis followed OBL. The young reporters I mentored in Saudi Arabia who taught me so much about their culture.
"God Save Texas" just made its debut on the NYT bestseller list at #8. Watch out, James Comey.
Let's stop the charade. Turks should produce the tape. Saudis should be accountable, even if it means removing and punishing the crown prince.
Actually Covid-19 was genetically engineered to kill anti-vaxxers, which it did at an alarming rate.
Jamal Khashoggi was murdered for speaking the truth. Join me and director Rick Rowley for a conversation on Tues., Sept. 29, 3 pm est, about his life--and the relationship between the US and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Austin Tice is an American reporter long thought to be held by the Syrian government. We need to keep his name, at least, alive.
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A Letter to President Biden For Austin Tice. "Mr. President, Austin needs you to step out and boldly lead. Please say our son's name in public."--Debra & Marc Tice & all the Tice family
My remarks on the apparent murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a good man and a good friend. Let justice redeem his sacrifice.
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"Jamal was a good reporter. And I guess that was the last story he covered." @lawrence_wright, on reports Jamal Khashoggi used his Apple Watch to record events that took place inside the consulate general in Istanbul. "I fear that he's not alive," he adds. cnn.it/2RLKYhl
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The story of one of America's greatest tragedies is still incomplete. Who took care of these two hijackers? The CIA knew they were in America, why didn't they tell the FBI? Was the agency working with the Saudis? Could 9/11 have been prevented?
The writers of Texas stand with student readers. texasinstituteofletters.org/news/TIL-Respo
Does UAE also have the blood of Jamal Khashoggi on its hands? washingtonpost.com/nation/interac
I hope you'll take a look at our doc on Jamal Khashoggi. In a rare move, Showtime has dropped the paywall so you can watch for free until the end of the month. hollywoodreporter.com/news/kingdom-o
fascinating account of how pizzagate was concocted.
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On this six-month anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi's death, his Washington Post colleagues have put together this powerful video remembrance. The assassination of Jamal Khashoggi washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/
Bruce was a great artist and wonderful man. His sense of humor was peerless. I'll miss him as a friend and colleague. He was part of what made such a magical place.
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The singular Bruce McCall, 87, has died. Illustrator, author, humorist, @NewYorker standout - and generous friend. In his honor, I shall wear the St. Louis Browns sweatshirt he once gave me. Onward, Zany Bruce.
Gov Abbott has taken control of the contagion out of the hands of local leaders, so it’s all on him.
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Sam is such an incisive interviewer and a valuable mind. A pleasure to have this conversation. twitter.com/SamHarrisOrg/s
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Very happy that "The Looming Tower" was rated #1 new show for 2018.
The death of Stephen Sondheim made me reflect on how man shows he wrote that didn’t succeed, at least initially, but he had the confidence to forge ahead. That’s the hardest part of being an artist.
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Dim all the lights. nytimes.com/2021/11/26/the
Did Trump pick new CIA head despite her stand on torture -- or because of it?
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.@Ali_H_Soufan and #TheLoomingTower author @lawrence_wright joined @MSNBC to discuss the new @Hulu Original series as well as the lack of accountability in the intelligence community over 9/11. hulu.tv/2ppgc1c
Much has been made of the "coincidences" between my novel "The End of October," and the pandemic. Most of it just research. But two things really surprised me: the president getting monoclonal antibodies and then the fly, which appeared in the VP debate, also plays a role.
We must restore the CDC to its former standing. Our security depends on it.
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I rage-wrote an essay about the politics of epidemic investigations
nytimes.com/2020/05/20/opi
I'm honored to be among the 14 National Magazine Award nominations for The New Yorker, an all-time high. asme.media/the-american-s
