Yasmeen Abutaleb

Washington, D.C.

White House Reporter

Education: University of Maryland, College Park; BS in microbiology; BA in journalism

Yasmeen Abutaleb is a White House reporter with The Washington Post. She joined in 2019 as a national reporter covering health policy and covered the Trump and Biden administration responses to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services. Yasmeen co-authored the New York Times No. 1 best seller, "Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration Response to the Pandemic that Changed History." She previously covered health care and technology for Reuters.
Latest from Yasmeen Abutaleb

Harris puts pressure on Trump in an elusive battleground: North Carolina

The vice president has raised Democrats’ hopes of winning the Tar Heel State, a populous battleground that has been just beyond their grasp ever since Barack Obama briefly turned it blue in 2008.

September 12, 2024
Christina Davis-McCoy and former Hoke County Sheriff Jim Davis, right, grab some campaign literature at a meeting with Sandhills North Carolina faith leaders in Lumberton, N.C., on Sept. 7.

Biden cease-fire push falters again after new demand by Hamas

The president’s goal of halting the hostilities in Gaza, at least temporarily, before he leaves office appears even further out of reach

September 7, 2024
President Joe Biden boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Friday.

U.S. plans to present ‘take it or leave it’ Israel-Gaza cease-fire deal soon

Officials hope grim discovery of bodies of six hostages in Gaza will renew urgency for a deal — but say they may walk away if it does not.

September 1, 2024
President Joe Biden shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 25.

Trusted aide would play key role in Harris review of U.S.-Israel policy

The vice president, along with top foreign policy adviser Phil Gordon, has been skeptical of Israel’s strategy in Gaza — and the U.S. response.

August 31, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris with adviser Phil Gordon at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Harris’s big interview and Trump’s cemetery controversy

Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, sat down for their first big interview since Harris began her campaign five weeks ago. Plus, former president Donald Trump flip-flops on reproductive rights again.

August 30, 2024

The Campaign Moment: Harris’s big interview

Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, sat down for their first big interview since Harris began her campaign five weeks ago. Plus, former president Donald Trump flip-flops on reproductive rights again.

August 30, 2024

Fauci hospitalized with West Nile virus, now recovering at home

The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases became the public face of the government response to the coronavirus pandemic.

August 24, 2024
Anthony S. Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies June 3 before a congressional committee investigating the coronavirus response.

Harris strikes balance in pointed DNC remarks on war

The Democratic presidential nominee said she would “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself,” but also directly addressed the suffering in Gaza.

August 23, 2024

Dispute emerges over lack of speaker on Gaza at Democratic convention

Activists wanted a speaker onstage to address conditions in Gaza, but Democratic National Convention organizers decided against it.

August 22, 2024
A small group of “uncommitted” delegates holds a sit-in outside the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night to protest the lack of a speaker about conditions in Gaza.

Democrats tamp down Gaza dispute — for now — with concessions and clampdowns

Democratic convention organizers maneuver to placate or block dissenters and maintain the party’s show of unity

August 22, 2024
Attendees protest in support of Palestinians as President Joe Biden speaks on the first night of the Democratic National Convention.