The Washington Post is &#8220;bleeding talent,&#8221; with a number of longtime employees — from veteran opinion columnists to the obituary section chief — accepting buyout offers that the Jeff Bezos-owned outlet extended to staff in late May.
Early in July, Washington Post CEO Will Lewis sent an email to staffers suggesting that they might especially want to consider the buyouts if they &#8220;do not feel aligned with the company&#8217;s plan&#8221; to reinvent itself.
Among the changes explicitly mentioned by Lewis was a shift in the opinion section to &#8220;champion timeless American values&#8221; and to &#8220;reconnect&#8221; with the audience in a way that rekindled trust.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Will Lewis emails the Washington Post staff, encouraging those who &#8220;do not feel aligned&#8221; with the company&#8217;s future plans to consider the buyout offer. <a href="https://t.co/b3a7w6HbuB">pic.twitter.com/b3a7w6HbuB</a>
— Ben Mullin (@BenMullin) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenMullin/status/1943049108064993285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In the days since Lewis sent that email, several big names have announced their plans to depart The Washington Post — including political reporter Dan Balz, obituary section chief <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/07/24/washington-post-jeff-bezos-obituary-buyout-00473350">Adam Bernstein</a>, reporter Philip Bump, as well as columnists David von Drehle, <a href="https://x.com/crampell/status/1948096670253605297">Catherine Rampell</a>, and <a href="https://www.the-independent.com/travel/americas/washington-post-exodus-jonathan-capehart-buyout-bezos-b2793184.html">Jonathan Capehart</a>. The Post&#8217;s original TikTok pioneer, Dave Jorgenson, legal reporter Ann Marimow, and sports writer Dan Steinberg also took the buyout.
Reporter Joe Davidson says he left after being told that one of his opinion columns was &#8220;too opinionated.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s just an absolute exodus,&#8221; one staffer told Politico of the buyouts, saying that no one was certain whether there was a plan in place to compensate for the vast amount of experience and expertise that was on its way out the door.
Watching the turmoil from the outside, Poynter News wondered: &#8220;How much longer can The Washington Post bleed talent?&#8221;
The turmoil at the Post — and, indeed, the high-profile exits — did not begin with the buyouts offered in May. Rather, the unrest within the organization dates back at least to the resignation of Executive Editor <a href="https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2024/why-sally-buzbees-resign-what-next-washington-post/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sally Buzbee</a> in June 2024. Buzbee left, according to several sources, because she was not on board with the new organizational structure Lewis planned to introduce.
A slew of resignations followed the outlet&#8217;s shock decision <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/all-hell-breaks-loose-after-washington-post-declines-to-endorse-kamala">not to endorse</a> former Vice President Kamala Harris. A statement from the Editorial Board read in part, &#8220;The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election. We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates.&#8221;
In the months that followed, longtime columnist Jennifer Rubin left the outlet — followed by <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/jonathan-capehart-leaves-washington-post-buyout/">opinion editor</a> David Shipley and columnist Ruth Marcus.
And while a number of those who left The Washington Post have started or plan to start their own independent ventures — Rubin and Jorgenson, for example — some have been snapped up by other major outlets, including The Athletic, The Atlantic, Reuters, and The New York Times.
The full impact of the buyouts, which reportedly targeted employees who had been with the outlet for 10 years or longer, remains to be seen. The offer is available to employees until the end of July.

Washington Post Logo

‘Absolute Exodus’: Washington Post ‘Bleeds Talent’ As Experienced Staffers Take Buyout

'Absolute Exodus': The Washington Post 'Bleeds Talent' As Experienced Staffers Soak Up Buyout Offer

Jeff Bezos

layoffs

Media

Newspaper

Politics

Washington Post

Notorious leftist Rosie O’Donnell, who recently left the country due to Trump being elected president, is coming after Oprah for attending the lavish wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez.
The comedian stated her complaints as part of an Instagram post. “The Bezos’ wedding. It turned my stomach seeing all these billionaires gathering in the gross excess of it all. The show of it,” O’Donnell wrote in an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DLhtUlDMJ-O/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram post</a> caption on Monday.
“Is Oprah friends with Jeff Bezos? Really? How is that possible? He treats his employees with disdain. By any metric he is not a nice man. And his fake fem bot wife who looks like that… Why would he choose her after the salt of the earth Mackenzie [Scott]? Sold his soul is what it looks like from here. The devil is smiling at all his conquests.”
Her comments were made after widespread backlash to the over-the-top nuptials in Venice, Italy, over the weekend. Besides just Oprah and her best friend Gayle King, the guest list included plenty of A-list celebrities such as the whole Kardashian clan, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tommy Hilfiger, Usher, Sydney Sweeney, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Bill Gates, and others.
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Actress Charlize Theron also made public comments about the wedding during an event over the weekend. “I think we might be the only people who did not get an invite to the Bezos wedding,” Theron quipped while on stage, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/charlize-theron-slams-everyone-who-went-to-jeff-bezos-wedding-they-suck-and-were-cool?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Charlize+Theron+Slams+Everyone+Who+Went+To+Jeff+Bezos%E2%80%99+Wedding%3A+%E2%80%98They+Suck+And+We%E2%80%99re+Cool%E2%80%99">reported</a>. “But that’s okay, because they suck and we’re cool.”
According to <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/28/europe/jeff-bezos-wedding-protest-venice-latam-intl">CNN</a>, hundreds of protesters gathered in Venice to protest the wedding of the billionaire Amazon CEO.
“Bezos goes hand-in-hand with Trump, who’s fueling more money in war,” one protester reportedly yelled. “We are for peace.”
“[Bezos] has such a lot of power, and now he’s abusing this city as a place to show off. So, he’s not welcome here,” another person echoed.

Rosie O’Donnell

Rosie O’Donnell Calls Out Oprah For Attending Bezos Wedding: ‘Turned My Stomach’

Celebrities

Entertainment

Oprah

Rosie O'Donnell

Wedding

World

Charlize Theron went off on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos&#8217;s over-the-top wedding to Lauren Sanchez Saturday, before switching gears to rant about politics.
The 49-year-old actress made the remarks while hosting the fifth annual Block Party for the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project on Saturday.
“I think we might be the only people who did not get an invite to the Bezos wedding,” Theron quipped while on stage, per <a href="https://pagesix.com/2025/06/29/celebrity-news/charlize-theron-rips-into-jeff-bezos-and-lauren-sanchezs-50m-wedding/">Page Six</a>. “But that’s okay, because they suck and we’re cool.”
The “Monster” actress voiced more of her opinions, thanking attendees for “taking the time to be a part of this, especially when the world feels like it’s burning because it is.”
“Here in Los Angeles, in the U.S. and across the globe, we’re moving backwards fast,” Theron said. “Immigration policy has destroyed the lives of families, not criminals; women’s rights are becoming less and less every day; queer and trans lives are increasingly being erased; and gender-based violence is on the rise.”
“This isn’t just policy, it’s personal,” she added. Theron also reacted to the applause for her comments, saying, “Yeah, f*** them.”
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Theron, whose adopted son identifies as a girl, expressed her unequivocal support for drag queens in 2023.
“We love you queens! We’re in your corner, and we’ve got you, and I will f*** anybody up who is, like, trying to f*** with anything with you guys,” the “Mad Max” star said at the time.
“In all seriousness, there are so many things that are hurting and, really, killing our kids, right, and we all know what I’m talking about right now,” Theron went on, adding that drag was virtuous and made viewers “better” for watching it.
“If you’ve ever seen a drag queen lip sync for her life, it only makes you happier, it only makes you love more. It makes you a better person,” Theron said. “F***, if I could do a death drop right now I would, but I would probably like, break my hip,” she added.
Theron is not the only Hollywood star to criticize Bezos and Sanchez&#8217;s $50-million Venice wedding. Rosie O&#8217;Donnell <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/06/30/celebs-mocking-jeff-bezos-lauren-sanchez-wedding-charlize-theron-rosie-odonnel/">said</a> &#8220;it turned my stomach seeing all these billionaires gathering in the gross excess of it all,&#8221; calling Sanchez a &#8220;fake fem bot.&#8221; Mia Farrow, Katie Couric, and Olivia Munn all also took to social media to make snide comments about the wedding.

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron Slams Everyone Who Went To Jeff Bezos’ Wedding: ‘They Suck And We’re Cool’

Comedian and actress Kathy Griffin seemed to call for political violence this weekend, posting a video to TikTok that showed craft severed heads of four billionaires — including President Donald Trump.
In the video, artwork depicting the decapitated heads of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Donald Trump, all with blood dripping from their necks, hangs from a wall. The clip ends with Griffin tilting her head, a smirk crossing her face as text above her reads: “That’s all.”
The X account Libs of TikTok reposted the video and called for the FBI to investigate her.
“Kathy Griffin apparently posted this video which appears to be decapitated heads including Trump,” wrote the person behind the account. “This should be investigated @FBI.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Kathy Griffin apparently posted this video which appears to be decapitated heads including Trump
This should be investigated <a href="https://twitter.com/FBI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBI</a> <a href="https://t.co/IwLL5l9ta1">pic.twitter.com/IwLL5l9ta1</a>
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1939415591703703819?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Griffin has previously come under fire for media stunts involving severed heads. In 2017, she posted a video of herself holding a mask styled to look like the decapitated head of Trump. After significant backlash, Griffin took the post down and apologized for the incident.
At the time, Lisa Bloom, an attorney for the actress, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/02/comedian-kathy-griffin-under-secret-service-investigation-after-trump-photo-lawyer.html">said</a> that “Griffin never imagined that it could be misinterpreted as a threat of violence against Trump. That was never what she intended. She has never threatened or committed an act of violence against anyone.”
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Still, CNN fired Griffin from their New Year&#8217;s Eve broadcast, and Squatty Potty, a toilet stool company, dropped her as a spokesperson.
Considering the backlash she received in 2017, it is no surprise that conservatives are not happy with her latest video.
“How is she still not in jail?” one X user <a href="https://x.com/AverageJoCrypt0/status/1939416380744573389">wrote</a>.
Others, however, <a href="https://x.com/TheGasStovee/status/1939415810398621732">defended</a> her, claiming that “freedom of expression” protects the video. Calls for political violence are not protected speech in the United States.

Kathy Griffin

Comedian Shares Shockingly Violent Anti-Trump Image

Donald Trump

Elon Musk

U.S.

President Donald Trump said he talked to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Tuesday shortly after a report claimed that the e-commerce giant was going to show the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hostile-white-house-sounds-off-after-amazon-says-it-will-display-tariff-costs-for-consumers?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=%E2%80%98Hostile%E2%80%99%3A+White+House+Sounds+Off+On+Amazon+Reportedly+Displaying+Tariff+Costs+For+Consumers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cost of tariffs</a> next to the total price of products on its site.
Trump said that Bezos &#8220;solved the problem very quickly&#8221; after Punchbowl News reported that Amazon was planning to display tariff costs. Shortly after the Punchbowl News report was published, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted Amazon, calling its reported move &#8220;hostile and political.&#8221; Amazon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/amazon-denies-that-it-considered-listing-tariff-costs-on-main-site-after-trump-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> to the report Tuesday morning, denying that it was planning to show tariff costs on its main website.
&#8220;Jeff Bezos was very nice. He was terrific. He solved the problem very quickly, and he did the right thing,&#8221; Trump told reporters before boarding Marine One Tuesday afternoon. &#8220;He&#8217;s a good guy.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on Amazon: &#8220;Jeff Bezos was very nice. He was terrific. He solved the problem very quickly and he did the right thing.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/AGrFLA9u1X">pic.twitter.com/AGrFLA9u1X</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1917288272344055882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Bezos has grown warmer toward Trump after the 2024 presidential election, attending his inauguration and meeting him at Mar-a-Lago. Leavitt didn&#8217;t pull any punches in her comments about Amazon, however, and said that its reported decision was “not a surprise,” pointing to a 2021 Reuters report about the tech and e-commerce giant partnering with a Chinese propaganda arm and complying with some of communist China’s wishes for the website. A senior White House official told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/29/business/white-house-calls-report-that-amazon-is-adding-a-tariff-charge-a-hostile-action/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> that Trump &#8220;was pissed&#8221; after learning of Amazon&#8217;s reported plan to add a tariff charge.
After Leavitt blasted Amazon, a spokesman for the company said that the plan was only discussed for the “ultra low cost Amazon Haul store,” which “considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products,” ABC News reported. The spokesman added, “Teams discuss ideas all the time. This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.”
Amazon, an American company that sources over 70% of its products from China, is facing the brunt of Trump&#8217;s 145% tariff on China. Chinese clothing stores Temu and Shein have added tariff surcharges, showing an additional 145% &#8220;import charge&#8221; for each item that they sell, CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/29/white-house-blasts-amazon-over-tariff-cost-report-hostile-and-political-act.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.

Trump Called Jeff Bezos After Report Claimed Amazon Was Planning To Show Tariff Costs

Amazon

China

Economy

Tariffs

Amazon denied on Tuesday that it was planning to show the cost that tariffs would add to the price of products on its website, pushing back on a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hostile-white-house-sounds-off-after-amazon-says-it-will-display-tariff-costs-for-consumers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from Punchbowl News after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted the Seattle-based company.
Leavitt ripped Amazon for taking a &#8220;hostile and political&#8221; action, adding, “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?” After backlash from the White House, the company said that it &#8220;never&#8221; considered showing tariff costs on &#8220;the main Amazon site.&#8221;
An Amazon spokesman said on Tuesday morning that the plan was only discussed for the &#8220;ultra low cost Amazon Haul store,&#8221; which &#8220;considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products,&#8221; ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-admin-live-updates-border-czar-brief-securing/?id=121230740&amp;entryId=121277073" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The spokesman added, &#8220;Teams discuss ideas all the time. This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.&#8221;
Asked about the Punchbowl report during a press briefing on Tuesday morning, Leavitt said that she had just spoken to President Donald Trump about the issue. Leavitt also pointed to a 2021 Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/amazon-partnered-with-china-propaganda-arm-win-beijings-favor-document-shows-2021-12-17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> about the tech and e-commerce giant partnering with a Chinese propaganda arm and complying with some of communist China’s wishes for the website. More than 70% of Amazon&#8217;s products are sourced in China and subject to Trump’s 145% tariff on the country.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has not commented on the Punchbowl report. Bezos has cozied up to Trump since the 2024 election, joining Trump for dinner at Mar-a-Lago after the election and attending Trump&#8217;s inauguration after Amazon donated $1 million to the inaugural fund.

Amazon Denies That It Considered Listing Tariff Costs On ‘Main’ Site After Trump Backlash

Business

Karoline Leavitt

Trump Administration

Amazon will begin displaying the cost that President Donald Trump&#8217;s tariffs are adding to the price of products, according to Punchbowl News, irking the Trump administration, which on Tuesday described Amazon&#8217;s move as &#8220;hostile and political.&#8221;
Punchbowl News <a href="https://punchbowl.news/article/tech/amazon-display-tariff-costs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the massive e-commerce company will show the cost that tariffs add to each product next to the total price. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/PhilipWegmann/status/1917201780687135018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blasted</a> Amazon during a press briefing on Tuesday morning, saying she &#8220;just got off the phone with the president,&#8221; who discussed Amazon&#8217;s decision.
&#8220;This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,&#8221; Leavitt said. &#8220;Why didn&#8217;t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?&#8221;
Amazon denied that it was planning to show the cost of tariffs next to products shortly after Leavitt&#8217;s comments. An Amazon spokesman said that the plan was only discussed for the “ultra low cost Amazon Haul store,” which “considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products,” ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-admin-live-updates-border-czar-brief-securing/?id=121230740&amp;entryId=121277073" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The spokesman added, “Teams discuss ideas all the time. This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.”
Leavitt said that Amazon&#8217;s reported decision is &#8220;not a surprise,&#8221; pointing to a 2021 Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/amazon-partnered-with-china-propaganda-arm-win-beijings-favor-document-shows-2021-12-17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> about the tech and e-commerce giant partnering with a Chinese propaganda arm and complying with some of communist China&#8217;s wishes for the website.
&#8220;This is another reason why Americans should buy American. It&#8217;s another reason why we are onshoring critical supply chains here at home to shore up our own critical supply chain and boost our own manufacturing,&#8221; Leavitt said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> reacts to Amazon&#39;s announcement on tariffs: &quot;This is a hostile and political act by Amazon&#8230; It&#39;s not a surprise because, as Reuters recently wrote, Amazon has partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm&#8230; This is another reason Americans should buy American.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/jtXZYfR8rH">pic.twitter.com/jtXZYfR8rH</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1917203919521882362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Some economists express concerns that the president&#8217;s tariffs on China will mostly hurt American consumers. More than <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/33376/share-of-items-sold-on-amazon-by-country-of-origin/#:~:text=More%20than%2070%20percent%20of,above%20the%20100%20percent%20mark." target="_blank" rel="noopener">70%</a> of Amazon&#8217;s products are sourced in China and subject to Trump&#8217;s 145% tariff on the country. The president hinted at an end to the escalating trade war with China soon, saying last week that the tariff on China &#8220;will come down substantially, but it won’t be zero.&#8221; China has retaliated with a 125% tariff on American goods.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has grown warmer toward Trump in recent months. After Trump&#8217;s election victory, Bezos dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, and Amazon donated $1 million to the president&#8217;s inauguration. Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, has also been hit by the Left for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wapo-opinion-editor-quits-after-jeff-bezos-announces-significant-shift-in-opinion-section" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dialing back</a> the newspaper&#8217;s opinion section and reportedly urging the Post to hire more conservative columnists.
This article has been updated with additional information.

White House Press Briefing

‘Hostile’: White House Sounds Off On Amazon Reportedly Displaying Tariff Costs For Consumers

Trade War

Model Emily Ratajkowski is still bashing the all-female space crew that included celebrities who have been dominating the headlines after their 11-minute mission to space.
Pop singer Katy Perry, CBS anchor Gayle King, and Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez were three of the women who flew to the edge of space on the Amazon founder’s Blue Origin spacecraft. Their flight is being touted as historic and important by many major outlets, but critics claim it’s nothing but average space tourism, which has been going on for decades. 
Ratajkowski made her feelings known during a TikTok <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@emrata/video/7493201498541772074">posted</a> Monday. 
“That space mission this morning, that’s end-time sh**. Like, this is beyond parody,” she said. “Saying that you care about Mother Earth, and it’s about Mother Earth, and going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that’s single-handedly destroying the planet? Look at the state of the world, and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space, and for what? For what, what was the marketing there? And then to try to make it like … I’m disgusted. Literally, I’m disgusted.”
The 33-year-old celebrity <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@emrata/video/7493531647028071726">followed up</a> with another social media video on Tuesday. “I think that this space mission is confusing to people because seeing women and people of color in spaces like science and politics that have not previously included them feels and looks like, really looks like — optically looks like — progress,” Ratajkowski, who identifies herself as a feminist, said. 
She continued, “But the truth is that having a man who has gained his power and become a part of the one percent purely through exploitation and greed deciding to take his fiancée and a few other famous women to space for space tourism is not progress.”
“It just speaks to the fact that we are absolutely living in an oligarchy, where there is a very small group of people who are interested in going to space for the sake of getting a new lease on life while the rest of the population — most people on Planet Earth — are worried about paying rent, or, you know, having dinner for their kids,” the model concluded.
She’s not the only one to question why so many are making such a big deal about the Blue Origin flight. Actress Olivia Munn<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/blue-origin-all-female-crew-including-katy-perry-launches-into-space"> said as much</a> on an episode of “Today with Jenna and Friends.”
“What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? I think it’s a bit gluttonous,” Munn said. “Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”

Emily Ratajkowski

Model Emily Ratajkowski Mocks All-Female Space Ride: ‘Not An Accomplishment’

Model Emily Ratajkowski Mocks All-Female Space Ride: 'Not An Accomplishment'

Blue Origin

Katy Perry

Space

Pop singer Katie Perry, TV personality Gayle King, and several others were on board the first all-female flight to space in decades that blasted off and landed successfully on Monday morning.
The women on Blue Origin&#8217;s NS-31 mission took off from West Texas on a trip that lasted just over ten minutes. It was the first all-female space crew <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/04/14/nx-s1-5364460/blue-origin-launch-female-space-flight-katy-perry">since</a> Soviet-era cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, who is also the first woman in space, orbited the Earth during a solo mission in 1963.
Besides Perry and King, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez, who is engaged to Blue Origin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, comprised the NS-31 crew.
The flight briefly traveled above the Kármán Line, the internationally recognized boundary of space, about 62 miles above Earth&#8217;s surface.
Several famous faces were present at the launch event, including Perry’s daughter Daisy and her husband, actor Orlando Bloom. King’s best friend, Oprah Winfrey, showed up to watch, as did other celebs, including Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian.
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Welcome to West Texas, NS-31 crew! <a href="https://t.co/8dFPqiaiZW">pic.twitter.com/8dFPqiaiZW</a>
&mdash; Blue Origin (@blueorigin) <a href="https://twitter.com/blueorigin/status/1911216376334684513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The women did an <a href="https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a64341516/blue-origin-female-flight-crew-space-interview-2025/">interview</a> with Elle magazine before the launch during the first week of April. 
Perry insisted the event would be “glam,” while King said she was “terrified.” 
&#8220;I haven’t felt like this since childbirth, really,&#8221; said King.
The women have been getting some pushback from those asking the point of the mission. Actress Olivia Munn <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/olivia-munn-blasts-katy-perry-031544538.html">said as much</a> earlier this month on an episode of “Today with Jenna and Friends.”
“What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? I think it’s a bit gluttonous,” Munn said. “Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”
&#8220;No offense, but they&#8217;re passengers, not crew and it&#8217;s a flight, not a mission. They have zero controls over the ship, just sit there, then float for a few minutes, then return. The whole thing is like 15 minutes. It&#8217;s publicity, at best,&#8221; one commenter on X <a href="https://x.com/derekahunter/status/1911422259018822070">noted</a>.
&#8220;Katy Perry and some other random women were just launched into space on a Blue Origin rocket for no reason other than to waste money and virtue signal about women. I’m all for venturing into space but this wasteful wokeness doesn’t help,&#8221; another <a href="https://x.com/Bubblebathgirl/status/1911778146988212241">agreed</a>.
Many others said there was nothing wrong with taking the flight if the people on board had the means and the interest.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t care that it was an all female crew, I care that they made it back successfully. That was pretty cool,&#8221; one person <a href="https://x.com/RealLifeFootage/status/1911776391605162189">said</a>.

Blue Origin All-Female Crew, Including Katy Perry, Launches Into Space

 Blue Origin All Female Crew, Including Katy Perry, Launches Into Space 

Air and Space

Outer Space

Women

The Washington Post is probing one of its reporters over past alleged social media posts that express support for the “resistance” in Gaza and call Israel an “illegal” state.
Heba Farouk Mahfouz is a reporter in The Washington Post’s Cairo bureau and has written and contributed to dozens of articles on Israel’s war against the terror group Hamas. In addition to the war in Gaza, Mahfouz also <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/heba-farouk-mahfouz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">covers</a> “human rights, gender issues, the economy, [and] religious minorities.”
Mahfouz joined the Post on 2016, but several years before, her social media account was allegedly espousing radical sentiments on Israel and Palestinians. Independent journalist Eitan Fischberger resurfaced the alleged posts recently, pointing out that Mahfouz has contributed significantly to the Post’s coverage of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
“Since the start of 2025, all 13 of the articles she&#8217;s written have focused on Israel and Hamas. The problem? She actually supports Hamas, and thinks Israel shouldn&#8217;t exist,” Fischberger posted on X, leading into a thread of some of Mahouz’s alleged old posts.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Meet Heba Farouk Mahfouz, a reporter in the <a href="https://twitter.com/washingtonpost?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@washingtonpost</a>&#39;s Cairo Bureau.
Since the start of 2025, all 13 of the articles she&#39;s written have focused on Israel and Hamas. 
The problem? She actually supports Hamas, and thinks Israel shouldn&#39;t exist. Let&#39;s dive in 🧵 <a href="https://t.co/XcOEKpkeyg">pic.twitter.com/XcOEKpkeyg</a>
&mdash; Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/EFischberger/status/1899549551671062659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“Isreal IS a COLONIAL, ILLEGAL (according to international law), state. It’s not a point of view. It’s a fact,” Mahfouz allegedly said in one November 2013 <a href="https://x.com/EFischberger/status/1899549563977077144" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a>.
In another alleged post, she says she does not “like Hamas’ social repression of Palestinians,” but asserts she will “always and forever support the resistance as long as it is against the Zionist entity,” according to a translation of the <a href="https://x.com/EFischberger/status/1899549602010857793" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a>.
“I am always and forever with the resistance! And with Hamas and Hezbollah too, as long as their weapons are against Israel and not Arabs like them … with Israel itself if it is fighting against Israel!” she allegedly says in another translated <a href="https://x.com/EFischberger/status/1899549614765670816" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a>.
A Washington Post spokesperson told The Daily Wire that the paper is aware of the alleged posts and is investigating. Mahfouz’s X account is locked.
The investigation into Mahfouz’s alleged past social media posts comes as members of The Washington Post’s staff have been in an uproar as owner Jeff Bezos institutes changes at the paper. In a <a href="https://x.com/JeffBezos/status/1894757287052362088" target="_blank" rel="noopener">note</a> to staff last month, Bezos said the paper would become a champion of “personal liberties and free markets.”
“We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others,” Bezos said.
The Washington Post owner has also warned about flagging American trust in media.
“We must be accurate, and we must be believed to be accurate. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but we are failing on the second requirement. Most people believe the media is biased,” Bezos wrote in an October 2024 <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/28/jeff-bezos-washington-post-trust/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">op-ed</a>.

The Washington Post

WaPo Probes Reporter Over Alleged Social Media Posts Pushing Violence Against Israel

Hamas

Israel

Blue Origin’s next mission to space will be solely composed of women, including multiple celebrities.
CBS News journalist Gayle King, recording artist Katy Perry, and pilot Lauren Sánchez, who is engaged to Amazon founder and Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos, will be part of the six person crew. Bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen will also be part of the group, along with former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe film producer Kerianne Flynn.
King <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRx-WG2BCLo">reacted</a> to the announcement this morning, telling her co-hosts that she’s “so afraid,” but also &#8220;so excited about it.&#8221;
She went on to say she never dreamed of going to space, but eventually her kids and her friend Oprah Winfrey helped change her mind. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know how to explain being terrified and excited at the same time,&#8221; King said of the upcoming mission. &#8220;It&#8217;s like how I felt about to deliver a baby.&#8221;
The <a href="https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-ns-31-mission">announcement</a> on the company’s webpage noted that Sánchez “is honored to lead a team of explorers on a mission that will challenge their perspectives of Earth, empower them to share their own stories, and create lasting impact that will inspire generations to come.”
&#8220;This mission will be the 11th human flight for the New Shepard program and the 31st in its history,&#8221; Blue Origin stated. &#8220;To date, the program has flown 52 people above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. This is the first all-female flight crew since Valentina Tereshkova’s solo spaceflight in 1963.&#8221;
Blue Origin did not yet announce the date of the flight.
Reactions on social media have been mixed, with many questioning Kate Perry being added to the flight crew especially.
“Heavy sigh,” one comment says.
“And I’m out. Peace,” another person wrote.
“lauren sanchez&#8217;s space suit gonna be interesting,” a third person commented, referencing the revealing outfit Sanchez wore to President Trump’s inauguration ceremony.
“Talk about equality! Why aren&#8217;t some people from disenfranchised communities allowed to experience this like the wealthy can?” another commenter said.
“Keep that dei alive,” another person reacted.

Katy Perry, Gayle King Announce They’re Joining All-Woman Space Flight

Katy Perry, Gayle King Announce They're Joining All-Woman Space Flight

Woke leftism is totally on the ropes.
The Democrats don&#8217;t know what to do about this, but their entire centralizing philosophy is on the ropes.
Jeff Bezos is the owner of The Washington Post. When he bought the Post, he said he would not get involved in the editorial side of the newspaper. 
Then, the newspaper decided to become the repository of the most radical woke nonsense in all of American media. By doing so, The Washington Post blew out its credibility more than any other major newspaper in the country.
It had been the paper of record. It had been the paper of Watergate. It had been the paper that broke an enormous number of serious scandals about the American government.
And then it turned into Salon.com. It was Jennifer Rubin whining about how Donald Trump was a mean, bad man. It was Eugene Robinson whining about how America was terrible. It was all the usual suspects saying the most radical, stupid things.
The number of Washington Post subscriptions began to seriously dip because they weren&#8217;t making any of the same smart business moves The New York Times was making. The New York Times also became a liberal fan paper, but they also decided to diversify into Wordle.
That did not happen with The Washington Post, who simply kept doubling down on the anti-Trump radical leftism and the suggestion that boys weren&#8217;t just girls, boys had to be girls. This had to be taught to kids — the idea that all politics could be boiled down to racial and sexual identity along with the idea that capitalism was, in and of itself, bad.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2147-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
But now there is a new middle in America, and the new middle is pro free market. It&#8217;s a middle that doesn&#8217;t like the leftist idea that the American economy is rigged on behalf of white people, rigged on behalf of men.
It&#8217;s an American middle that believes in the American dream and thus believes in the idea, generally speaking, of capitalism. It&#8217;s also an American middle that, while fairly liberal about what their neighbors do, is not completely liberal about what their neighbors do — meaning if their neighbors decide to open a porn shop next door, the answer is no. If their neighbors decide the local public school is going to be teaching gender-queer, the answer is no.
That&#8217;s the new middle in America.
So, what does that mean? It means there is now a real market possibility of newspapers like The Washington Post reorienting. Bezos is not a traditional Republican. He is not someone who believes in traditional conservative social values. He&#8217;s not somebody who, as far as I am aware, is particularly hawkish on foreign policy.
But Bezos does exist in the business world and in the world of semi-rationality. So yesterday, Bezos announced he will be reorienting (and remaking) the Post’s editorial board. It is worth sharing <a href="https://x.com/JeffBezos/status/1894757287052362088" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his statement</a> in full:
<blockquote>I shared this note with the Washington Post team this morning:
I’m writing to let you know about a change coming to our opinion pages.
We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.
There was a time when a newspaper, especially one that was a local monopoly, might have seen it as a service to bring to the reader’s doorstep every morning a broad-based opinion section that sought to cover all views. Today, the internet does that job.
I am of America and for America, and proud to be so. Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America’s success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else. Freedom is ethical — it minimizes coercion — and practical — it drives creativity, invention, and prosperity.
I offered David Shipley, whom I greatly admire, the opportunity to lead this new chapter. I suggested to him that if the answer wasn’t “hell yes,” then it had to be “no.” After careful consideration, David decided to step away. This is a significant shift, it won’t be easy, and it will require 100% commitment —  I respect his decision. We’ll be searching for a new Opinion Editor to own this new direction.
I’m confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America. I also believe these viewpoints are underserved in the current market of ideas and news opinion. I’m excited for us together to fill that void.</blockquote>
This is a sea change. It is a true recognition of the fact that The Washington Post never had a broad spectrum of opinion. The tacit recognition in Bezos’ announcement is that there might have been a time when The Washington Post was a sort of platform with a variety of opinions — Charles Krauthammer and George Mitchell used to write for The Washington Post —  but then something changed.
Once The Washington Post became the exclusive preserve of the radical Left on matters economic and social, it was no longer a platform. It became, in the most real sense, a publisher of only the content the editorial board wanted to publish.
So Bezos is now saying, “Listen, if that&#8217;s going to be the way this works, then I want the Post to publish things I want. I spent $100 million on this newspaper. I own this newspaper. I get to decide what&#8217;s in this newspaper.”
Good for him.
I think that we are exiting the era of “objective journalism” and moving toward the realization there is no such thing. The case can be made that there are journalists who do their best to remove their personal bias from situations, but the notion of there being an “objective news media” writ large was a lie and is a lie.
There&#8217;s a prism of politics through which the news is refracted at every one of these major publications. Everybody knows The Wall Street Journal editorial page tilts to the Right and The New York Times’ editorial page toward the Left.
I remember when Twitter (now X) was owned by Jack Dorsey — and when conservatives said that the standards that were being applied were unfair and that the standards Twitter professed to be applying were not actually the standards they were applying — people on the Left said, “Well, then, build your own.”
Then, Elon Musk bought it, and now the Left is whining about it.
The same is true here. When people complained about the editorial direction of The Washington Post, the Left said, “You don&#8217;t own The Washington Post. You don&#8217;t like it? Build your own.”
All of this is part and parcel of a radical sea change that is happening in American politics.
And it is driven by the Democrats, who are totally disconnected from reality.

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