AP reporters score trio of US national security scoops

By Konstantin Toropin, Aamer Madhani, Lisa Mascaro

The Washington bureau scored a trio of impressive national security scoops in one week, a testament to deep source work and collaboration between Pentagon reporter Konstantin Toropin, White House reporter Aamer Madhani and congressional correspondent Lisa Mascaro.

The AP reported first on a White House push to fire live bombs during a Navy celebration, new efforts to shift military attorneys to the Justice Department, and a crackdown on transgender troops.

Toropin’s dogged source reporting about military lawyers being sent to the Justice Department allowed him to break the news that they had been detailed to help offices near the U.S.-Mexico border or those dealing with immigration enforcement operations. He worked with Justice Department reporter Alanna Durkin Richer to get additional confirmation.

Toropin included context about Trump administration efforts to use troops for immigration operations and the uncertainty about the impact on the military justice system—building on his September reporting on military attorneys being assigned as temporary immigration judges.

A day later, he broke the news that the Pentagon was undercutting the ability for transgender troops to argue to stay in the military before independent boards across all the services. The scoop was a result of time Toropin spent building trust with transgender troops, their attorneys and advocates, many of whom spoke on the record despite the risks.

Separately, Madhani got a tip from a longtime source that the White House had pushed the Navy to set off live bombs instead of dummies for a celebratory military demonstration that President Donald Trump was attending. The source said Trump “needed to see explosions.”

Madhani coordinated with Toropin and Mascaro, who tapped their source networks to confirm the story, which raised questions about cost and safety—especially during a government shutdown and after a Marine artillery demonstration had dropped shrapnel on a California highway.

The stories epitomized coordination across teams in Washington, dogged source work and beat expertise. They also drove significant traffic to APNews.

The judges were impressed by the trio’s tenacity and collaboration in breaking important accountability stories with deep sourcing and context. Toropin, Madhani and Mascaro are honored with the week’s Best of the Week – Second Winner.