How Bezos, Musk, and Trump Took Over the Media (and Why the Midterms Are at Risk)

Feb 10, 2026 | For decades, America’s biggest news organizations served as referees of democracy—imperfect, flawed, but powerful enough to hold leaders accountable. That era is ending. This video breaks down how far-right and MAGA conservatives didn’t just attack the media from the outside, but captured it from within. From mass layoffs at The Washington Post under Jeff Bezos, to the reshaping of CBS News under new leadership, to Elon Musk’s $44 billion purchase of Twitter/X, this essay traces how billionaire power, political alignment, and corporate self-interest have converged to weaken the institutions meant to check authoritarianism.

ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.

"Journalism Deserves Better": Ex-Washington Post Staffers Slam Billionaire Bezos for Gutting Paper

Feb 6, 2026 | The Washington Post has laid off more than 300 journalists, dismantling its sports, local news and international coverage. "Everybody is grieving, and it's a loss for our readers," says Nilo Tabrizy, one of the paper's recently laid-off staff, who describes a "robotic" meeting announcing the cuts. "They didn't have the dignity to look us in the eye." The shocking staff culling has been widely attributed to the paper's leadership under Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who bought the nearly 150-year-old institution in 2013. Karen Attiah, the former global opinion editor at the Post, was hired soon after Bezos's arrival. She recounts how the arrival of a billionaire backer initially revitalized the paper with resources and creative freedom, before souring over the next decade.

Democracy Now! can be supported here.

Washington Post Chaos Blows Up after Bezos Drops Millions on Melania Disaster

Feb1, 2026 | Washington Post chaos blows up as journalists try to get owner Jeff Bezos to step in and save his own company as reports of mass layoffs and shuttering key parts of the paper are revealed following Bezos pouring millions into a Melania Trump documentary for clear corruption. John Iadarola and Elliot Morgan break it down on The Damage Report.

Steve Schmidt, Malcolm Nance & Dean Blundell: “On the World's Most Successful Call Girl”

Jan 31, 2026 | With the worldwide release of her disgraceful, corrupt "film," Steve Schmidt, ‪Malcolm Nance Media‬ and Dean Blundell have a no holds barred conversation about who exactly Melania Trump is.

Jim Acosta Just Did Something He's Never Done Before - And It's About Bezos

Oct 28, 2025 | Jim Acosta does something on live television that shocks even his regular viewers - and it involves his Washington Post subscription. After reading what the paper published about Trump's White House demolition, Acosta takes viewers through a process he never thought he'd go through, culminating in a message for Jeff Bezos that you have to hear to believe. What pushed a longtime newspaper subscriber over the edge?

Billionaire’s Lavish Wedding! This Woman Cost Bezos $40 Billion... But What Shocked Everyone?

Jun 28, 2025 | The wedding of one of the richest men in the world, Jeff Bezos, instantly became the most talked-about event around the globe. The luxurious celebration in Venice is being compared to last year’s Ambani wedding: millions of dollars, hundreds of celebrities, and even royal guests. But behind all that glamour were protests, arguments, and waves of criticism.

Self-evidently, there was far more money there than there was taste! There was nary a well-dressed person in sight. Nor a well-coiffed person, either. This is proof that money can’t buy you style. – © Mark Alexander

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's Wedding underway in Venice | BBC News

Jun 28, 2025 | Reality stars, actors, royals and A-listers have travelled to Venice for the lavish wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and TV presenter Lauren Sánchez.

Oprah Winfrey, Orlando Bloom, Kylie Jenner and Ivanka Trump were just some of the celebrities seen on the boats and streets of the Italian city on Thursday and Friday.

But the event has attracted protests from a variety of groups in Venice, including locals fighting over-tourism to climate change activists.

The festivities are expected to last three days, ending with a large party for the married couple and their hundreds of guests on Saturday.

Why Bezos' Opulent Wedding Is Fueling Anger over the Political Influence of the Ultra-rich | DW News

June 28, 2025 | Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has married Lauren Sánchez in a lavish ceremony in Venice estimated to have cost as much as 50 million US dollars. The billionaire tycoon wore black tie for the boat ride to the ceremony, with the actual venue a closely guarded secret. His bride wore an elegant cream Dior suit to get there, with a choice of designer dresses lined up for the exchange of vows. Dozens of A-list guests flew in for the occasion in a fleet of private jets.

The extravagance and opulence of the wedding also set off a string of protests in Venice. Bezos said he would donate more than a million to local charities. Critics of low taxation of the ultra-wealthy point to the dangers of rich billionaires such as Bezos shaping politics with their donations rather than making tax contributions.

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos Says He'll Give Away His Wealth | 2022

Nov 14, 2022 | In an exclusive interview, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and partner Lauren Sánchez tell CNN's Chloe Melas why they awarded Dolly Parton $100 million for charitable causes and what other plans they have for Bezos' massive net worth

To Whom Does Venice Belong? Bezos Wedding Draws Attention to Bucket List Destination • FRANCE 24

June 26, 2025 | Where else but the city of merchants, one whose fortune was founded on global trade, to host the celebrity wedding of the digital age's king of ecommerce? In Venice, Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of online trading platform Amazon, is tying the knot with journalist-turned-TV personality Lauren Sanchez in a spectacle that's drawn both paparazzi and protesters. What does this spectacle out of a Fellini movie say about the age we live in?

Bezos Wedding Venue Disruption 'a Symbolic Victory for People Power', Activist Group Says

June 25, 2025 | FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to the spokesperson for the "Everyone Hates Elon" activist group, which unfurled a giant banner reading "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax" on Piazza San Marco, in protest at plans to shut down parts of the city for Jeff Bezos' celebrity wedding. He says the group "wanted to make a point that it's just obscene that any one person can do that at a time when most of us are struggling to pay the bills".

Jeff Bezos Changes Venice Wedding Venue amid Protests and Activist Stunt Threats | 10 News First

Jun 25, 2025 | Campaigners in Venice are claiming a win after Jeff Bezos was reportedly forced to change the venue for his wedding celebrations, as guests began arriving on Tuesday for the lavish three-day event.

The main reception for Bezos and his fiancée, former TV journalist Lauren Sánchez, was initially planned for the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a grand 16th-century building in the heart of the city. But according to activist group No Space for Bezos, the couple backed down after protesters threatened to disrupt the event by filling the canals with inflatable crocodiles to block celebrity arrivals.

Greenpeace Italia and UK-based group Everyone Hates Elon also joined the demonstrations, unveiling a giant banner in St Mark’s Square on Monday featuring an image of Bezos laughing, alongside the message: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax.”


Related material here.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Arrive in Venice for Divisive Wedding

THE GUARDIAN: Nuptials of Amazon founder and former TV journalist to kick off on Thursday as activists continue to protest against event

The billionaire Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, and the former TV journalist Lauren Sánchez have arrived in Venice as they prepare to tie the knot in a lavish three-day celebration that has divided the lagoon city.

Scores of celebrities and other members of the world’s super-rich will also join the pair in Italy, arriving on superyachts and private jets.

Bezos, the world’s fourth-richest person, was spotted by a Reuters reporter on Wednesday entering the exclusive Aman Venice hotel on the Grand Canal, where many of the celebrities will stay. His wife-to-be was also later sighted by photographers.

More than 90 private jets are expected to land in Venice before the celebrations officially begin on Thursday, bringing in guests for an event that some have called the “wedding of the century” and is rumoured to involve everything from pyjama parties to elegant dinners. » | Angela Giuffrida in Venice | Wednesday, June 25, 2025


Related video here.

Jeff Bezos Forced to Abandon Lavish Venice Wedding after Protests

Jun 24, 2025 | “The wedding will take all the water, taxis, five luxury hotels, all fixed for him… moreover he’s not getting married in Venice.”

Jeff Bezos's lavish wedding in Venice has been relocated after Venitians protested en masse, says Tommaso Cacciari, who led one of the protest groups.

Melania Trump Scores HUGE Payday as Amazon Pays $40 Million for Her Documentary

Jan 12, 2025 | Melania Trump is earning a massive payday for simply existing, as Amazon has agreed to purchase her biopic/documentary for a staggering $40 million. The film is directed by embattled director Brett Ratner who has been on a hiatus from working after being hit with allegations of sexual misconduct. This is just another attempt by Jeff Bezos to cozy up to Donald Trump, as Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins explains.

Jeff Bezos Bows Down to Trump | The Warning with Steve Schmidt

Jan 6, 2025 | The Washington Post opted against publishing a cartoon critical of Trump and other billionaires, signaling fear of Trump has officially taken over our media. Steve Schmidt breaks down the cartoon controversy and explains the dangers of censorship.

Arse-licking will be the watchword of the billionaire class once Trump assumes power on January 20th.

Sobald Trump am 20. Januar die Macht übernimmt, wird Arschleckerei das Schlagwort der Milliardärsklasse sein.

Le léchage de cul sera le mot d’ordre de la classe des milliardaires une fois que Trump prendra le pouvoir le 20 janvier. – © Mark Alexander

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? | Mark 8:36 King James Version

Was hülfe es dem Menschen, wenn er die ganze Welt gewönne, und nähme an seiner Seele Schaden? | Markus 8:36 Luther Bibel 1545

Et que sert-il à un homme de gagner tout le monde, s'il perd son âme? | Marc 8:36 Louis Segond

Washington Post Editor-at-Large Resigns over Bezos' Decision. He Explains Why

Oct 26, 2024 | CNN's Erin Burnett speaks with ex-Washington Post editor-at-large Robert Kagan, who resigned from the paper after publisher Will Lewis announced the paper would not endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election.

The Billionaires Who Made Our World: Jeff Bezos | BBC Select

Sep 26, 2023 | The transformation of Jeff Bezos has been extraordinary. He leads a life of luxury and glamor while vying with Elon Musk as one of the planet’s richest men. But Bezos wasn't always so glamorous. This revealing documentary charts his rise from computer geek to ruthless businessman, building Amazon into one of the world's biggest corporations. But who is the real Bezos and what drives his ambition?

Stream the full story with The Billionaires Who Made Our World on BBC Select here.

U.S. Accuses Amazon of Illegally Protecting Monopoly in Online Retail: The Federal Trade Commission and 17 states sued Amazon, saying its conduct in its online store and services to merchants illegally stifled competition. »

Prime Power: How Amazon Squeezes the Businesses Behind Its Store: Twenty years ago, Amazon opened its storefront to anyone who wanted to sell something. Then it began demanding more out of them. »

MacKenzie Scott Reveals Details of Her $14bn in Donations to 1,600 Non-profits

THE GUARDIAN: Billionaire whose wealth largely comes from her divorce from Jeff Bezos has signed pledge promising to give away over half

MacKenzie Scott has not given any interviews about her donations, opting to discuss her reasons in essays posted on Medium and now on Yield Giving. Photograph: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
The billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s donations have yielded more than $14bn for about 1,600 non-profits since 2019, according to her new website Yield Giving, which was unveiled on Wednesday night.

Scott’s wealth largely comes from her divorce from the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos. She has signed the Giving Pledge, promising to give away more than half. Forbes currently estimates her net worth at $27bn.

Scott has not given any interviews about her donations, opting to discuss her reasons in essays posted on Medium and now on Yield Giving.

Until now, Scott and her team secretly contacted organizations they were interested in, then offered donations after receiving data. On Wednesday, Scott announced plans to introduce an “open-call process”, to allow non-profits to send information for evaluation. » | Associated Press in New York | Thursday, December 15, 2022

Yield Giving.

Jeff Bezos Vows to Give Away Most of Fortune – and Hands Dolly Parton $100m

THE GUARDIAN: Amazon founder wants to donate much of $124bn wealth to causes such as climate crisis and world unity

Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos has not said what proportion of his fortune is likely to go to philanthropy. Photograph: John Locher/AP
Jeff Bezos has promised to give away the vast majority of his $124bn (£110bn) fortune during his lifetime, but admitted that ensuring that the most worthy causes benefit is proving as difficult as building his Amazon empire.

The 58-year-old, the world’s fourth richest person, according to Forbes billionaires list, made the pledge after giving $100m to the country singer Dolly Parton to give to charities of her choice as part of Bezos’s annual Courage and Civility award. » | Mark Sweney | Monday, November 14, 2022