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.

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"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.

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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?

The Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi

On Oct. 2, 2018, Saudi agents killed Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. What has been done to hold those responsible accountable?

Jeff Bezos’ Extortion Claim And The ‘Saudi Angle’ | The Last Word | MSNBC

Trump ally David Pecker could lose his immunity deal as federal prosecutors investigate whether AMI violated its non-prosecution agreement by trying to blackmail Jeff Bezos. A new report by the Daily Beast details the inner workings of the National Enquirer's "blackmail machine." Ari Melber discusses the new details with Noah Shachtman, Jonathan Alter and Nicholas Kristof.

Opinion | 'His Words Aren't Gone': Our Missing Friend, Jamal Khashoggi

Columnist David Ignatius, Jamal Khashoggi's longtime friend, and Karen Attiah, Khashoggi's editor, talk about the "kind, gentle" Post contributor, who disappeared after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

'This Is An Outrage': Jamal Khashoggi Mystery Threatens Relations | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Media outlets in Turkey have published footage of what they say shows evidence of a plot linked to missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared after entering the the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2nd.

Washington Post Journalist Jamal Khashoggi Has Disappeared. Will the US Take a Stand?

Jamal Khashoggi, a singular voice willing to criticize Saudi leaders, has disappeared in Istanbul at the Saudi consulate. The Washington Post columnist and prominent former editor has previously spoken out about some of crown prince Mohammed bin Salman's actions, including the silencing of dissenters. Nick Schifrin talks with Fred Hiatt of the Washington Post and Robin Wright from the New Yorker.

Alleged Saudi Murder of Washington Post Columnist Prompts Calls to Halt U.S. Relations with Régime

Fears are growing over the fate of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who Turkish officials say they believe was murdered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last week. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who had been living in self-imposed exile in the United States, entered the Saudi Consulate in Turkey seeking a document he needed to get married and has not been seen since. The Washington Post reports a Turkish investigation has revealed that a group of about 15 Saudi men traveled to Istanbul to kill Khashoggi as he visited the consulate. Saudi officials have denied the report and say they don’t know the journalist’s whereabouts. Khashoggi is a critic of the Saudi regime. “This is a horrific escalation in the crown prince’s campaign to silence dissent, to silence any criticism, even the mildest of criticism, from Saudis at home or abroad,” says columnist for The Intercept Mehdi Hasan, who is also host of “UpFront” at Al Jazeera English, where he interviewed Khashoggi earlier this year. We’re also joined by Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, who knew Khashoggi and is the author of “Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection.”

Saudi Arabia Reportedly Killed Journalist Jamal Khashoggi. We Can't Rest Until We Know The Truth

Turkish officials say Saudi journalist and Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Global Opinions writer Jason Rezaian says if true, this is a heinous crime by the Saudi government.

Read Khashoggi's columns: HERE »

Hannity: 5 Major Forces Are Aligning to Take Down Trump

The destroy Trump propaganda media, the Washington deep state, Democrats, establishment Republicans and never Trumpers are now working together in an unprecedented attack against a sitting president

WaPo [Washington Post] Writer: 'I Don't Need Steve Bannon's Permission To Do My Job' | Morning Joe | MSNBC

The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson discusses Stephen Bannon's remarks about the press as provocation and why he doesn't need permission from Bannon to do his job.