A Texas <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/antifa-cell-members-convicted-prairieland-ice-detention-center-shooting">ICE facility</a> got hit with an armed ANTIFA cell numbering in the dozens on the Fourth of July, the latest instance in a wave of Left-wing violence that includes the murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO and Charlie Kirk, whose assassin engraved his bullet casings with ANTIFA slogans.
The Left’s premiere non-Wordle newspaper doesn’t care about that. This week, three Washington Post reporters spent hundreds of words arguing that nobody can quite figure out what &#8220;left-wing terrorism&#8221; even means, calling it “difficult to categorize.”
The <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/07/09/rubio-tries-enlist-other-nations-antifa-fight-some-allies-recoil/">piece</a> — ostensibly about Secretary of State Marco Rubio inviting representatives from 60 nations to discuss the “resurgence of transnational far-left terrorism” — is petulant drivel. Rubio isn’t overreaching. He’s the first secretary of state in a generation willing to say the quiet part out loud.
That&#8217;s not politicization, that’s catching up.
This makes the Post&#8217;s framing all the more absurd. The piece leans hard on the idea that quantifying Left-wing violence is some unsolvable epistemological puzzle — going so far as to platform &#8220;analysts&#8221; who wonder aloud whether gunning down an insurance executive on the street even counts as a &#8220;‘left-wing’ act.&#8221;
The same paper that spent 2020 calling arson and Molotov cocktails &#8220;mostly peaceful” now wants us to believe that a coordinated cell of nine defendants — convicted on federal terrorism, explosives, and attempted murder charges for storming an ICE facility with over 50 firearms between them — is too nebulous a phenomenon to name.
Left-wing violence isn&#8217;t hard to quantify; it&#8217;s just hard for the Post to admit. It’s so hard, in fact, that the authors attempt to pretend ANTIFA doesn’t exist while simultaneously citing the group’s operations in Europe.
One European diplomat is quoted as insisting, with a straight face, &#8220;We don&#8217;t have ANTIFA.&#8221; Some anonymous ally, off to protect their diplomatic backside, tells the Post their country has no earthly reason to show up to Rubio&#8217;s summit. Then, further down the article, written by the very same three bylines, the Post casually mentions that the <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/11/designations-of-antifa-ost-and-three-other-violent-antifa-groups">State Department designated ANTIFA OST</a>, a militant group in Germany (along with two more cells in Greece and one in Italy), as a foreign terrorist organization back in November.
So, which is it? Does Europe have ANTIFA or doesn&#8217;t it? The Post can&#8217;t even keep its own reporting straight for six paragraphs, and they want us to trust their skepticism about the threat&#8217;s existence.
As for all this European &#8220;consternation,&#8221; I&#8217;d humbly suggest the diplomats waving off Rubio&#8217;s invitation aren&#8217;t worried about being lectured on domestic politics. I think several of them are worried about something considerably less comfortable: what happens when American intelligence-sharing starts asking pointed questions about who&#8217;s actually funding and organizing these &#8220;loosely knit&#8221; networks in their own countries — and how many of those funding trails lead back to <a href="https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/china-latin-america-2/">Beijing&#8217;s Belt and Road partners</a> and CCP-linked NGOs quietly propping up far-Left instability across Europe and Latin America?
Must we again reference <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/jim-banks-gop-lawmakers-rally-behind-doj-probe-alleged-ccp-linked-funding-network">Beijing’s Neville Roy Singham</a> and the groups he funds to foment illegal blockade running in the Caribbean? No administration wants to be the government that has to explain why their &#8220;spontaneous&#8221; anarchist movement keeps showing up with professional-grade logistics and foreign wire transfers. We&#8217;ve already watched what happens once voters get a look under that hood — ask <a href="https://sanfernandosun.com/2024/04/10/argentinas-police-step-up-their-response-to-growing-anti-government-protests/">Javier Milei&#8217;s Argentina</a>, <a href="https://latinoamerica21.com/en/bukele-at-a-crossroads-washington-or-beijing/">Bukele&#8217;s El Salvador</a>, or <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/22/far-right-de-la-espriella-elected-colombia-president-whats-next">Colombia&#8217;s electorate</a> this year. The hard-Left establishment gets tossed out the window once the receipts come out. That&#8217;s the real fear rattling around these foreign ministries, and it has nothing to do with Rubio&#8217;s invitation list being too &#8220;vague.&#8221;
None of this is to say every element of the administration&#8217;s approach is airtight — designating a movement with no central command as a foreign terrorist organization is a genuine legal stretch, and reasonable conservatives can debate the mechanics. But the Post didn&#8217;t publish a piece raising careful legal questions. It published 2,000 words insisting the entire premise is manufactured, while a decentralized movement racks up a body count that includes a Fortune 500 CEO, an ICE detainee, and the most prominent conservative activist of his generation.
If the Washington Post can&#8217;t see the pattern, it isn&#8217;t because the pattern is invisible. It&#8217;s because that would mean admitting that six years of &#8220;mostly peaceful&#8221; was always a lie.
***
Tony Kinnett is the host of The Tony Kinnett Cast at The Daily Signal. Connect with him on X: @TheTonus.

Violent Clashes Erupt at “Unite The Right” Rally In Charlottesville

Rubio’s 60 Nation Counterterrorism Conference Terrifies The Washington Post

Antifa

DW Opinion

Media Bias

Washington Post

President Donald Trump&#8217;s promise to host the largest Independence Day fireworks display in American history has apparently sparked a new concern from the legacy media: fireworks smoke.
Just days before Americans gather in the nation&#8217;s capital to celebrate the country&#8217;s 250th anniversary festivities, The Washington Post published a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/07/01/july-fourth-fireworks-likely-cause-hazardous-air-pollution-documents-show/">report</a> warning that the massive pyrotechnic display planned for July 4 could create &#8220;hazardous levels of pollution&#8221; and &#8220;very unhealthy&#8221; air quality around the National Mall.
The newspaper cited internal National Park Service documents projecting elevated levels of fine particulate matter — known as PM2.5 — for several hours after the approximately 40-minute fireworks show concludes.
The Post focused primarily on the smoke the display is expected to generate. According to the outlet, draft National Park Service modeling predicts particulate matter concentrations between 600 and 1,200 micrograms per cubic meter in the most likely scenario, with a worst-case projection exceeding 2,000 micrograms depending on weather conditions.
The paper reported that attendees should &#8220;avoid prolonged exposure&#8221; to the smoke and highlighted recommendations that people wear N95 masks outdoors and remain indoors as much as possible during and after the fireworks show.
Yet buried within the report is an admission that undercuts much of its alarm. The Post acknowledges that projected pollution levels of up to 1,200 micrograms per cubic meter &#8220;match what have been recorded with other fireworks events.&#8221;
In other words, the National Park Service&#8217;s own projections indicate the expected pollution levels are consistent with what has previously been measured during large fireworks displays, even as the newspaper frames this year&#8217;s celebration as a significant public health concern.
The Washington Post article also quotes New York University professor George Thurston, who recommended that people use &#8220;the precautionary principle&#8221; by minimizing exposure and suggested that &#8220;an N95 mask would be a good idea.&#8221;
The celebration, dubbed &#8220;Salute to America,&#8221; is expected to feature roughly 850,000 fireworks launched from multiple locations around Washington, D.C., alongside military flyovers, live musical performances, and remarks from President Trump. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has described the display as a &#8220;must-see event,&#8221; while Trump has touted it as the largest fireworks show in American history.
&#8220;The Fourth of July Airshow, over Washington, D.C., our Great Capital, will be the biggest, by far, in the History of the United States of America,&#8221; Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this week.
&#8220;Hundreds of Planes, of different types, sizes, and speeds, will be on display. &#8230; I will be speaking at approximately 9 P.M., preceding the Fireworks which again, like the Airshow, will be approximately ten times larger than any Fireworks in the History of our Country.&#8221;
The Post further highlighted internal agency guidance stating pollution could remain elevated for three to six hours after the show and even ventured into environmental justice concerns.
One internal Park Service document reportedly instructed staff to &#8220;not treat race, ethnicity, income, disability, age, or language as risks by themselves,&#8221; while noting that some predominantly black and lower-income neighborhoods are located near the fireworks sites.
The coverage was quickly echoed by <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/disturbing-reality-of-donald-trumps-huge-july-4-fireworks-display-exposed/">The Daily Beast</a>, which similarly warned readers that Trump&#8217;s fireworks show would create &#8220;hazardous levels of pollution&#8221; and emphasized recommendations for masks and limiting outdoor exposure.
The outlet also spotlighted concerns over summer heat and security restrictions surrounding the event while noting White House hopes for a large turnout after Trump&#8217;s kickoff rally for the America 250 celebration.
Trump, meanwhile, has encouraged Americans to attend what he has called an unprecedented patriotic celebration. &#8220;So, if you like Airplanes and Fireworks and President Trump, be there!&#8221; the president wrote.

Fireworks on the Fourth of July, Washington, D.C.

Washington Post Panics Over Trump’s July Fourth Fireworks: ‘Wear An N95 Mask’

America 250

Donald Trump

Fireworks

Fourth of July

In the tradition of serious journalism, The Washington Post on Monday cemented itself in the pantheon of legendary media outlets with this pressing headline: “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2026/04/07/why-do-farts-smell/">Do men or women have worse farts? Science has the answer</a>.”
Yes, while Americans were watching the immense success of the American military in Iran, the Post elevated the intelligence of its readers with this slop.
To make matters more elegant, the Post noted that Monday’s article was an excerpt from a forthcoming article on Tuesday titled, “You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong.”
Stop the presses and clear the room, because we finally have the hard-hitting investigative journalism we deserve.
“Science has finally settled the age-old debate of whose farts smell worse — men or women,” the Post breathlessly reported.
Meet Dr. Michael Levitt, a man who looked at the vast mysteries of human biology and became known to his colleagues as “the King of Farts.” Armed with a gas chromatograph and a dream, Levitt didn&#8217;t just study flatulence; he turned it into a high-stakes competitive sport.
Levitt’s methodology was pure, unadulterated nightmare fuel. He recruited sixteen &#8220;volunteers,&#8221; stuffed them with pinto beans, and literally plugged their butts with airtight tubes.
But the real MVPs were the “independent judges” whose job description was to huff bags of concentrated rectal exhaust and rank them on a scale of &#8220;mild&#8221; to &#8220;existential crisis.&#8221; In 2003, Popular Science called this the worst job in science, which feels like a massive understatement for someone who spent their Tuesday morning sniffing a pinto-bean-powered chemistry set.
The earth-shattering results showed women’s farts are more concentrated and toxic, while men favor &#8220;quantity over quality,&#8221; producing half a cup of gas per toot. The article called this a literal tie in the battle of the bowels. Levitt even took his expertise to NASA, ensuring astronauts don&#8217;t asphyxiate on their own internal atmosphere.
If you’re gassy on a flight, don&#8217;t blame the burrito; blame the Ideal Gas Law (PV=nRT). Physics dictates that as cabin pressure drops, your colon must expand like a vengeful balloon.
So, the next time you&#8217;re at 30,000 feet, just remember: you aren&#8217;t being rude, you’re just a victim of thermodynamics.
Science is truly breath &#8230; taking.
And the Post should really, really be taken as a serious news organization.

MixCollage-06-Apr-2026-09-53-AM-5666

Pulitzer Prize Material: The Washington Post Sniffs Out The Truth About Farting

Farting

Well, by now you’ve all heard the news. Shortly after the recent American bombing of Iran began, Secretary of State Marco Rubio came running into the Oval Office to tell President Trump: “The Ayatollah has been hit by Israeli missiles.”
President Trump said, “Khamenei?”
And Rubio said, “About five or six.”
So ended the life of the Supreme Leader of Iran. The Washington Post immediately ran an obituary for him that stated, and I quote, “With his bushy white beard and easy smile, Ayatollah Khamenei cut an avuncular figure… He was known to be fond of Persian poetry and classic Western novels, especially Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables.”
Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, Oh, Klavan, you marvelous, merry-making merchant of mirth, what a sparkling comedic imagination you must have to dream up a fantastical and absurd newspaper that would stock its obituary of a monster of mass murder and oppression with a description of his avuncular figure and sophisticated literary tastes. 
You must be saying: Oh, how we held our bellies and laughed hardy-har-har when you pretended that a well-respected journalistic institution like the Washington Post, which only recently fired 300 of the 800 people working in their newsroom, would nonetheless have kept on staff the sort of human-shaped but worm-souled font of scatological moral corruption who would spew such flattery at the corpse of a man who murdered tens of thousands of his own citizens, not to mention thousands of Americans. 
You’re probably thinking: Oh, Bravo and Five stars, you Klavan of Klavans, for inventing an implausible yet biting political satire of the Post worthy of Juvenal himself, if Juvenal had allowed his imagination to run amok, making him a Juvenal delinquent, ha ha ha.
But no, I am not making this up.
The Washington Post, where democracy dies in an ethical darkness so complete that even the fires of hell would be a welcome source of illumination, actually honored the Ayatollah with a description of his bushy white beard and avuncular smile that might have made their readers think, Oh no, now that the Ayatollah is dead, who will fly around the world on Christmas Eve to deliver toys to all the good little children?
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/hosts/andrew-klavan?elementPosition=6&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Hosts&amp;rowType=Hosts+Portrait+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974735 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1024x171.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1024x171.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-768x128.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1536x256.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now.jpg 1800w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
And the Washington Post was not the only outlet that lamented the death of a tyrant whose personality was, in fact, greatly improved by his being blown to smithereens. Tucker Carlson was outraged that a man he called “the Pope of Shia Islam” had been killed by Jews, those wascals. After all, why are we making an alliance with wascally Jews, when we could be friends with an actual Pope like the Ayatollah?  What have the Jews ever contributed to society besides the Old and New Testaments, modern physics, the great old Hollywood that spread American values around the world, countless technological and medical breakthroughs, including a cure for polio, and all the really good Christmas Carols? 
Tucker was especially angry that Donald Trump had celebrated the death of Pope Ayatollah. Trump claimed the Santa-like Shiite Pope had tried to have him assassinated. But no. Carlson, citing anonymous sources close to Candace Owens’s imagination, revealed for the first time that the intelligence proving the Shiite Pope had tried to kill our president was unreliable because it had come from Israel, if by Israel you mean the FBI, where maybe the I stands for Israel, I’m not really sure.
But really, many prominent Jews have also come out against the killing of Khamenei, including Chuck Schumer and Bill Kristol, who were strongly in favor of killing Khamenei until Donald Trump actually helped do it, whereupon they changed their minds so fast that their brains ricocheted off the inside of their heads and flew out their ears, leaving them so brainless that they were reduced to being Chuck Schumer and Bill Kristol.
But you know, maybe these people have a point. As good Christians, we should restrain our celebratory guffaws at the admittedly hilarious image of the Ayatollah being particlized by his Israeli enemies, and only emit those occasional snorts or snickers that we find impossible to suppress as we wag our fingers at the Israeli Air Force and sternly say to them, “Boo-yah, you friends of humankind!”
* * *
This excerpt is taken from the opening satirical monologue of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Andrew Klavan Show</a>.”
Andrew Klavan is the host of “The Andrew Klavan Show” at The Daily Wire. Klavan is the bestselling author of numerous books, including the Cameron Winter Mystery series. The fifth installment, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/After-That-Cameron-Winter-Mysteries/dp/1613166869/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3EGZUC370LG46&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Y_NI0mDOKeowShheDQTVx5NH-fAeimJoCD56_T0Acpl8C0mup7uJf-nGGSRLEItaaekoDnvS2vWLMa4Zd2UBXQ8Y-g-P502jOWz-Y8IX3ZQsdlO7WMLrg1xIhNoKmjCorSWUR4C2l_RbiZ7apJ1MfPzGOrrEf7AdAXX6xwnJRVP_XqUfWuMuVthTWscaU3P4vgmS86-96n-721enHfX12CFQWTajqFbVnrsDkexfUf4.6_gTH6h1Bb9Pn375QdF_VAVZSayDvjQBBKGXE-MTiFo&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=klavan&amp;qid=1754049918&amp;sprefix=%2Caps%2C80&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">After That, The Dark,</a> is NOW AVAILABLE. Follow him on X: <a href="https://x.com/andrewklavan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@andrewklavan</a>.
The views expressed in this satirical piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Santa Claus Aya

The Washington Post Writes A Christmas Card To The Ayatollah

Andrew Klavan

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Humor

Iran

Santa Claus

Satire

Tucker Carlson

In a valiant effort not seen since the death of terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, The Washington Post outdid itself with an obituary for Iran’s deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Post described the longtime Iranian Supreme Leader — who oversaw the murders of thousands of his own people — as “avuncular” in comparison to his “constantly scowling” predecessor, commenting on his “bushy beard and easy smile” and his predilection for Western literature.
“With his bushy white beard and easy smile, Ayatollah Khamenei cut a more avuncular figure in public than his perpetually scowling but much more revered mentor,” one paragraph read. “And he was known to be fond of Persian poetry and classic Western novels, especially Victor Hugo’s &#8216;Les Misérables.’”
“Some Iranians who knew Ayatollah Khamenei before he became supreme leader described him as a &#8216;closet moderate,’” it continued.
Critics slammed the paper almost immediately, mocking the conciliatory tone of an obituary for the man who kept his own country oppressed for decades. Khamenei was president of Iran from 1981 to 1989, when he became the regime’s Supreme Leader until his death on Saturday.
Actor James Woods shared a paragraph from the obituary, commenting, “This is how the Washington Post eulogized the dirt bag who murdered 40,000 innocent civilians this month. This is not satire.”
“This reads like a dating app profile,” The Heritage Foundation’s Mary Vought observed.
“To Washington Post: What is wrong with you?” another asked. “Why are you describing the mass murdering terrorist Khamenei like he was a harmless old grandpa?”
“Yes, the Washington Post actually eulogized Khamenei by admiring his ‘bushy white beard and easy smile.’ The man was a terrorist, not Santa Claus!”
“The Washington Post just published a loving eulogy for terrorist dictator Ali Khamenei—like he&#8217;s a sweet grandfather, not the butcher who slaughtered thousands of Iranians and 600+ Americans,” podcast host Alec Lace posted. “Shame on WaPo. Pure disgrace.”
“Nice of the Washington Post to let Khamenei write his own obituary,” Doug Powers added.
“Washington Post: man who had women beaten and shot for not wearing hijab was merely an ‘avuncular figure’ with a ‘bushy white beard’ who liked ‘classic Western novels’; a Persian Santa Claus rather than one of history&#8217;s most despicable creatures,” Ryan O’Connor posted.
The outlet faced similar backlash in 2019 when American military forces, on orders from President Donald Trump, eliminated terrorist leader al-Baghdadi. That obituary described the brutal terrorist and Islamist leader as an “austere religious scholar.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

WaPo Shocks With Glowing Obit Of Iran’s Khamenei, Praises His ‘Easy Smile’

Global Politics

Iran Airstrike

Media

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The era of the &#8220;paper of record&#8221; is officially dead, and the bank statements at 1301 K Street have the receipts to prove it.
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The Washington Post, the crown jewel of the billionaire-funded activist press, reportedly hemorrhaged more than $100 million in 2025, according to a report from <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/washington-post-losses-topped-100-million-in-2025-85076aae">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
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This staggering deficit follows a $100 million loss the previous year, and a $77 million loss in 2023, highlighting a catastrophic downward spiral for the Jeff Bezos-owned outlet that has failed to find a pulse in the modern media landscape.
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The financial bloodbath has already triggered a &#8220;painful&#8221; restructuring, with the Post slashing its staff by a massive 30% earlier this month. In a candid internal meeting held Wednesday, acting CEO Jeff D’Onofrio and Executive Editor Matt Murray laid bare the dysfunction. D&#8217;Onofrio revealed that while newsroom costs surged 16% over the last five years, productivity cratered; the number of stories published by the outlet has plummeted by 42% since 2020.
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“We’re not a paper of record; there’s no such thing anymore in today’s world,” Murray told the shell-shocked newsroom, a stunning admission of defeat for a publication that once lived by the self-important slogan &#8220;Democracy Dies in Darkness.&#8221;
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The financial ruin comes amid a total collapse of the Post’s internal leadership. Just weeks ago, CEO Will Lewis abruptly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/washington-post-ceo-steps-down-days-after-mass-layoffs">stepped down</a>, claiming he wanted to ensure a &#8220;sustainable future&#8221; for the company. His departure followed a brutal year of buyouts and resignations.
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The Post has been &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/absolute-exodus-washington-post-bleeds-talent-as-experienced-staffers-take-buyout">bleeding talent</a>,&#8221; as veteran liberals—including columnists Jennifer Rubin and Jonathan Capehart—fled the building. Many of these exits were prompted by Bezos’ attempts to steer the paper back toward &#8220;timeless American values&#8221; and &#8220;personal liberties,&#8221; a move that reportedly infuriated a newsroom more accustomed to acting as a megaphone for the D.C. establishment than a balanced news source.
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As the Post struggles to remain solvent, its desperate pivot to technology has only worsened its credibility crisis. The recent launch of &#8220;Your Personal Podcast,&#8221; a customizable AI-generated audio tool, turned into an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-washington-posts-ai-podcast-rollout-has-been-a-train-wreck">unmitigated disaster</a>. The AI began &#8220;spitting out fake quotes&#8221; and inventing commentary, forcing editors to scramble to fix errors delivered at scale.
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Internal communications showed editors were &#8220;infuriated&#8221; by the botched rollout, which occurred just as the Trump administration intensified its criticism of the outlet as a top &#8220;media offender.&#8221;
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The Post’s reporting has also faced embarrassing public rebuttals from the Pentagon. Earlier this year, the paper published a widely circulated hit piece on War Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging he gave a &#8220;kill them all&#8221; order during a naval operation. The report was swiftly and flatly refuted by Navy Admiral Mitch Bradley, who told Congress the order was never given, exposing the Post’s reliance on &#8220;anonymous sources&#8221; to push partisan narratives.
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<div>
With sports departments shuttered and international bureaus shrinking, the Post is now attempting to reinvent itself as a lean, national-focused outlet. But as the &#8220;exodus&#8221; of both readers and writers continues, it remains to be seen if even the deep pockets of the Amazon founder can save a legacy institution that has effectively alienated half of its potential audience.
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Washington Post Logo

DEATH OF A LEGACY: The Washington Post Hemorrhages $100M+

Jeff Bezos

Legacy Media

U.S.

There&#8217;s a palpable frustration out there in American politics.
It’s clearly rooted in some ugly and unpleasant realities: the reality that many of our major institutions blew up their credibility on COVID-19, BLM, and Russiagate; the reality that we don&#8217;t really have any idea how AI is going to reshape the job market; the reality that a ton of people in the political class have no scruples and are totally willing to engage in open corruption.
That frustration is turning into something else before our eyes in this country.
And that thing is nihilism.
That nihilism is rooted in a gigantic lie. A truly gigantic lie that tries to make us believe that all of our problems in the United States are intractable, that individual problems that you may have or I may have in the United States are the result of an evil system, often led by cohesive groups of conspiratorial elites, that you cannot succeed unless you pierce this supposed matrix, and all of those who call for individual responsibility and dutiful decency are actually part of this evil matrix. 
This thinking is not solution-making. It is thought-preventing. It is success-preventing. It&#8217;s a recipe for personal and national disaster, and the result is an increasingly incoherent and unhinged politics and an entire generation of young men and women who go looking for meaning in all the wrong places and on the very fringes, sometimes turning to violence.
On Monday, Peter Whoriskey <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/02/08/nihilistic-violence-emerges/">wrote</a> in The Washington Post:
<blockquote>Amid a wave of high-profile killings and political violence in the United States, investigators have been confounded regularly by the absence of a recognizable agenda. The assailants in several cases — shootings, a bombing, a planned drone attack — resisted familiar labels and categories. They were not Democrat or Republican, or Islamist militant, or antifa or white supremacist.
They were something new. In their manifestos, these attackers declared their contempt for humanity and a desire to see the collapse of civilization. Law enforcement officers and federal prosecutors have begun to describe these attacks as a contemporary strain of nihilism, an online revival of the philosophical stance that arose in the 19th century to deny the existence of moral truths and meaning in the universe.</blockquote>
This is not new. Societies that experienced major dislocations are often the breeding ground for nihilism and violence. That&#8217;s been true going all the way back to Dostoyevsky&#8217;s “Notes from the Underground,” which he wrote in 1864. But if you reread “Notes from the Underground,” Dostoevsky goes further.
He writes:
<blockquote>I, for instance, would not be in the least surprised if all of a sudden, à propos of nothing, in the midst of general prosperity a gentleman with an ignoble, or rather with a reactionary and ironical, countenance were to arise and, putting his arms akimbo, say to us all: “I say, gentleman, hadn’t we better kick over the whole show and scatter rationalism to the winds, simply to send these logarithms to the devil, and to enable us to live once more at our own sweet foolish will!” That again would not matter, but what is annoying is that he would be sure to find followers—such is the nature of man. And all that for the most foolish reason, which, one would think, was hardly worth mentioning: that is, that man everywhere and at all times, whoever he may be, has preferred to act as he chose and not in the least as his reason and advantage dictated.
One’s own free unfettered choice, one’s own caprice, however wild it may be, one’s own fancy worked up at times to frenzy—is that very “most advantageous advantage” which we have overlooked, which comes under no classification and against which all systems and theories are continually being shattered to atoms. And how do these wiseacres know that man wants a normal, a virtuous choice? What has made them conceive that man must want a rationally advantageous choice? What man wants is simply independent choice, whatever that independence may cost and wherever it may lead. And choice, of course, the devil only knows what choice. </blockquote>
In other words, convince people that they don&#8217;t have any choices in life and what you are likely to get is a nihilistic retreat into barbarism, specifically because people want to lash out at their supposed lack of choice.
You&#8217;ve heard me rail against what I&#8217;ve called the conspiracy theory of society. That&#8217;s the idea that everything in life is controlled by systems you can&#8217;t quite identify, and that your problems are solvable only through violence or through some sort of pseudo revolution.
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Philosopher Karl Popper explained this again back in the mid-20th century. He said, “The &#8216;conspiracy theory of society&#8217; is a typical result of a secularization of a religious superstition. The belief in the Homeric gods whose conspiracies explain the history of the Trojan War is gone. The gods are abandoned. But their place is filled by powerful men or groups &#8211; sinister pressure groups whose wickedness is responsible for all the evils we suffer from &#8211; such as the Learned Elders of Zion, or the monopolists, or the capitalists, or the imperialists.”
None of this is new.
But what we are experiencing right now in the United States is dangerous and stupid. Of course, there are conspiracies out there, but conspiracies generally have specific people involved and evidence of their involvement. What has been effectuated is the conspiracy theory of society that everything in your life is out of your control, and there is a group of manipulative elites who are getting together behind closed doors to figure out how to screw you.
That is something different. And that conspiracy theory of society is finding unbelievably fertile ground right now. And there are a lot of people who are promoting it for their own pure grift and greed.
They are doing it because of the con.
It turns out that this modern wave of nihilism is not entirely organic. It is fomented by influencers and politicians who commit ideological arson so that they can pretend to be firefighters, people who manipulate their audiences into believing that their problems are unfixable unless they hand over more power and control to precisely those same influencers and politicians. 
After all, influencers can get really, really rich off the nihilism of crowds. Politicians can foment the change they seek by channeling nihilistic energy, at least temporarily, until they&#8217;re eaten by the movement that they actually foster.
The pool right now is really, really warm for tons of influencers and politicians who wish to promote the idea that society is rigged, and that if you follow their particularly crappy advice and give them attention and therefore cash, you will somehow break the matrix and your life will become better.
It&#8217;s a lie. 
We live in a time that is rife with the con.

The Con

A Time Rife With The Con

Ben Shapiro

COVID-19

Opinion

Russiagate

Violence

Anti-ICE protests spread to the Winter Olympics in Italy, Nancy Guthrie’s family agrees to pay $6 million in ransom, and The Washington Post staff sees a dramatic downsizing and a shakeup at the top.
It’s Monday, February 9, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Anti-ICE Olympics</h2>
The 2026 Winter Olympics have kicked off in Milan, and it has already become a stage for anti-ICE demonstrations by protesters and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/olympians-say-they-have-mixed-emotions-representing-america-under-donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">athletes alike</a>. There has been some unrest and performative activism in Italy regarding ICE agents assigned to the Olympic Games. Homeland Security officers are routinely deployed at major international events to support security and protect Americans. But ICE’s presence this year has been met with <a href="https://x.com/Devin_Heroux/status/2017597319609225512">protests</a> from local left-wing activists. Local officials have been upset, as well. Milan’s mayor referred to ICE as a “militia that kills.” At least one protest in Italy has <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/07/europe/italy-protests-rail-damage-latam-intl">devolved</a> into violence, with agitators firing fireworks and officers responding in force. Opposition to ICE extended beyond locals and reached the Olympic Village. Team USA renamed its camp from the “ICE House” to the “Winter House” to distance itself from the agency. Several athletes used their platforms to condemn ICE worldwide, <a href="https://x.com/Reuters/status/2019867442273460379">including</a> freestyle skiers Hunter Hess and Chris Lillis, and figure skater <a href="https://x.com/apinionsvary/status/2020194977930744117">Amber Glenn</a>. President Donald Trump responded directly to Hess on Truth Social. The president <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116035760619414211">called</a> Hess a “real Loser” who “shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">The Search For Nancy Guthrie: Day 9</h2>
The search for Nancy Guthrie enters its ninth day with an active weekend at both the 84-year-old’s home and her daughter&#8217;s house nearby. On Sunday afternoon, authorities returned to Guthrie’s home. There were two Pima County sheriff’s deputies searching the grounds, focusing on the backyard. It appeared they were searching a septic tank. On Saturday, law enforcement spent at least three hours at Annie Guthrie&#8217;s home, where Nancy ate dinner the night of her disappearance. Officials say they don&#8217;t have any suspects or any persons of interest. But Savannah Guthrie <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/guthrie-says-family-received-message-will-pay-ransom-for-mother-nancy">released</a> a new video over the weekend. “We received your message, and we understand,” she said in a video released on Saturday night. “We beg you now to return our mother to us, so we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace.” She added that the family “will pay” a ransom.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">WaPo Bloodbath</h2>
Former Washington Post employees protested outside the legacy outlet’s headquarters after mass layoffs left them unemployed. Over the weekend, the company saw another high-profile departure – its publisher has now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/washington-post-ceo-steps-down-days-after-mass-layoffs">stepped down</a> days after the media company cut roughly 30% of its staff, about 300 employees. The Post announced Saturday that its publisher, Will Lewis, is out. He wrote a short note to staff in which he said all the changes he had helped make were intended to ensure a “sustainable future” for the outlet. He also made a point of praising owner Jeff Bezos, who is being criticized by many of the terminated employees. Bezos has been hammering the same sustainability message, and framing this moment as an “extraordinary opportunity” to fulfill the Post’s “essential journalistic mission.” He said, “Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus.”

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Morning Brief: Anti-ICE Olympics, Nancy Guthrie Search Day 9, & WaPo Layoff Fallout

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The CEO of The Washington Post has stepped down days after the media company cut roughly 30% of its staff.
The Post announced publisher Will Lewis’ departure on Saturday. Lewis also wrote a short note to staff in which he explained that he was leaving “to ensure” a “sustainable future” for the media outlet.
“After two years of transformation at The Washington Post, now is the right time for me to step aside,” Lewis wrote, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/07/media/washington-post-will-lewis-publisher-resigns">CNN</a>. “I want to thank Jeff Bezos for his support and leadership throughout my tenure as CEO and Publisher. The institution could not have a better owner.”
“During my tenure, difficult decisions have been taken in order to ensure the sustainable future of The Post so it can for many years ahead publish high-quality nonpartisan news to millions of customers each day,” he concluded.
Lewis joined The Washington Post in 2024, brought on board by Bezos to help turn the outlet around after years of shrinking readership and financial losses. Jeff D’Onofrio, the Post’s chief financial officer, will succeed Lewis in the interim.
Post owner Jeff Bezos also wrote a note included in the release announcing the change. The Amazon founder said that The Washington Post has “an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity,” according to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/washington-post-owner-jeff-bezos-gives-first-statement-after-layoffs-2026-2">Business Insider</a>.
&#8220;Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus,” Bezos said.
The Post made major changes this week to reverse its trajectory, cutting roughly 300 jobs as it seeks to strip away parts of the company that it sees as financial liabilities and focus resources on profitable areas. Executives at the company said that the outlet has failed to adapt to a changing media landscape and must make tough decisions to stay relevant and competitive.
“If we are to thrive, not just endure, we must reinvent our journalism and our business model with renewed ambition,” executive editor Matt Murray wrote in a note to staff on Wednesday amid the layoffs.
The major cuts came to the newsroom’s international reporting and sports department, which no longer exists. Some of the sports writers were folded into the features section of the paper. The paper shrunk its international coverage, but will keep reporters on the ground in about a dozen countries.
The Post is also restructuring its metro section and shutting down its Post Reports podcast. The outlet will focus on national news, investigations, and health and wellness.
“Today is about positioning ourselves to become more essential to people’s lives in what has become a more crowded, competitive, and complicated media landscape,” Murray said during a call with staff on Wednesday. “For too long, we&#8217;ve operated with a structure that’s too rooted in the days when we were a quasi-monopoly local newspaper.”

The Washington Post

Washington Post CEO Steps Down Days After Mass Layoffs

Journalism

Tragedy occurred in the Bezos universe yesterday when 16,000 people were cut from Amazon.
The first round of cuts in October led to roughly 14,000 white-collar employees receiving pink slips. People in the world of journalism were deeply affected. They were really upset that tens of thousands of people were about to lose their jobs at Amazon, one of the most successful companies in America and in the world.
Just kidding.
They didn&#8217;t care.
They barely covered that; it lasted in the news cycle for about five seconds.
What they are really, really upset about in the Bezos universe is that The Washington Post is going to lay off one-third of its staff. The Washington Post is cutting — wait for it — 300+ jobs.
I&#8217;m just going to point out where the sympathies lie. 30,000 people lose their jobs at Amazon because Amazon is cost-cutting and reevaluating thanks to AI, and journalists respond, “You know, those are people who work in Amazon. Those might be factory workers, those might be middle management. They&#8217;re not us.”
But at The Washington Post, they laid off the third-string journalist in Gaza, who may or may not be a contractor for Hamas; they laid off the race and ethnicity reporter, and it’s “My God, the American promise has been sullied and violated! No, this cannot be!”
The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/washington-post-layoffs-feburary-2026-c105b237?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqcaQNca6RrDYdMgDke2Qwu1pfAhNcuwCLeGw2gtfcyFA6ZnY6MoI_3SOtNXZjo%3D&amp;gaa_ts=6984dc53&amp;gaa_sig=APDqepx-qArXwdbgE1oFZKF_NO-7qs9L1QsLikbvbByoXzZcBaTeCL6ss9lDG47LXXcfxAiG6I1p2ATcf6q7Uw%3D%3D">reported</a>:
<blockquote>The Washington Post is cutting one-third of its staff, slashing hundreds of jobs across the newsroom and other departments in an effort to trim costs and reshape coverage.
The layoffs will affect journalists in nearly all news departments, including the sports, foreign, technology and breaking-news teams, as well as business and technology staff. 
“If we are to thrive, not just endure, we must reinvent our journalism and our business model with renewed ambition,” Executive Editor Matt Murray wrote in a note to newsroom staff Wednesday&#8230;. The Post is closing its sports department in its current form but will retain some roles in that coverage area. It is shrinking its international coverage, and will focus on national news and features, investigations and advice on health and wellness topics.
Murray said the Post will continue to have correspondents in about a dozen international locations, and will focus on issues related to national security. “That’s what our readers seem to respond to the most,” he said. &#8230; The Post lost $77 million in 2023 and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/washington-post-challenges-trump-second-term-61ea6ed9?mod=article_inline">$100 million in 2024</a>, The Wall Street Journal previously reported, as it contended with traffic declines from sources including Google and Facebook. &#8230; In recent weeks, Post journalists—including foreign correspondents, local-news reporters and members of the White House team—made public pleas asking the paper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, to maintain their jobs.</blockquote>
The Washington Post, like the Daily Wire, is not a nonprofit. If journalists wish to start their own nonprofit and get a bunch of left-wing funders to put millions of dollars behind their jobs, they are free to do that. There are organizations that operate as charitable organizations that do active journalism on occasion.
But the idea that Jeff Bezos owes it to the employees of The Washington Post to maintain their jobs when the paper is losing money is crazy and stupid.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2362-left-wing-journalists-panic-as-wa-po-fires-300?elementPosition=5&amp;row=6&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Nonetheless, the response from the media ecosystem is absolute shock and horror. Emmanuel Felton, the race and ethnicity reporter at The Washington Post — the race and ethnicity reporter? Is there breaking news in the race and ethnicity area? Is evolution suddenly occurring that you need l a reporter on race and ethnicity? How is that a coverage area? If on the Right there was a race and ethnicity reporter, we would recognize just how racist that is — put out a statement:
<blockquote>I&#8217;m among the hundreds of people laid off by The Post. This comes six months after hearing in a national meeting that race coverage drives subscriptions. This wasn&#8217;t a financial decision, it was an ideological one. The other reporter on my team covering race was also laid off as well as the editor in charge of race coverage across national. The team covering America beyond DC is now 90% white.</blockquote>
Oh, no. You mean that people covering issues are going to do so without regard to the race of the reporter?
We can&#8217;t have that.
“Racism,” says the guy who gets paid to talk about racism all day long.
Brianna Tucker, national politics breaking news reporter and the National Association of Black Journalists political task force chair, put out a statement saying, “I&#8217;m affected by layoffs at the Washington Post today. There aren&#8217;t enough words to describe the immense privilege and profound responsibility I&#8217;ve felt since hired at 25 as an editor. As a Black woman covering politics, (a dwindling cohort) today, that feeling is magnified.”
If your first take about being fired by a paper that is bleeding money is that you were fired because of your race, perhaps that betrays the style of coverage that you were doing, which might be one of the reasons the paper was suffering.
If you see everything through a racial lens and the paper for which you are reporting keeps losing money, and then you get fired, and in your firing statement, you talk about your specific race, perhaps you are part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Peter Baker, the New York Times’ chief White House correspondent, put out a tweet listing Bezos’ wealth over the years:
<blockquote>Jeff Bezos wealth in 2024: $194 billion Jeff Bezos wealth in 2025: $215 billion Jeff Bezos wealth today: $249.4 billion Net increase in Bezos wealth since 2024: $55.4 billion Cost of Bezos’s 417-foot superyacht: $500 million Amazon investment in &#8220;Melania&#8221;: $75 million Original Bezos purchase price of the Washington Post in 2013: $250 million Bezos net worth in 2013: $25.2 billion Net increase in Bezos wealth since buying the Post: $224.2 billion Last reported annual losses of Post: $100 million Number of years Bezos could absorb those losses with what he makes in a single week: 5</blockquote>
The premise of this tweet is that The Post is a charity, and that Bezos bought it as a charity operation.
The only number that matters in the tweet is this: “Last reported annual losses of Post: $100 million.”
Perhaps one of the reasons Jeff Bezos is worth $250 billion is that he does not hold on to declining assets. He does not run his businesses like charities. Maybe that would be the reason.
Maybe that&#8217;s why he is extraordinarily wealthy, and most of the reporters working for him are not, because they think they&#8217;re in the charity business.
As someone who&#8217;s the co-founder of a major media organization in the same business as the Washington Post, let me just say this: When you lose money, and you can see where you&#8217;re losing money, you have to lay people off.
That is how business works.
And Jeff Bezos is not doing anything wrong by laying people off.
The idea that journalists are somehow owed their position because the person who hires them is rich is extraordinary, especially when many of these same journalists are asking that the federal government step in and make the owners of their own businesses not rich anymore.
They think that the people who hire them are simply supposed to absorb the losses.
Bernie Sanders, a complete leech on the ass of American society for the last eight decades, a useless human being in the extreme, put out a statement saying, “If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie and $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don&#8217;t tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff. Democracy dies in oligarchy.”
What is this, “He doesn&#8217;t need to?”
It is not about what people need to do in America; it is about what they want to do and what they have the freedom to do. That&#8217;s why this country kicks ass.
And that&#8217;s why his version of the country sucks.
If Bernie Sanders wants to get together a bunch of his left-wing friends to put together a 501c3 and rehire all the race reporters in the Washington Post, he is free to do that. He could sell his lake house, and he could hire several of these journalists, and they could work for him, and they could gallivant into the utopian socialist sunset together and enjoy their time.
But he&#8217;s not going to do any of that, the man who spent over $550,000 in 2025 campaign funds on private jets. 
How many Washington Post salaries could that pay?

Guild Members Rally Outside The Washington Post After Layoffs

Left-Wing Journalists Panic As WaPo Fires Over 300 Employees

Amazon

Capitalism

journalists

layoffs

The Washington Post cut nearly one-third of its workforce on Wednesday, terminating some 300 employees and axing several editorial sections entirely.
According to several reports detailing the situation, executive editor Matt Murray and human resources director Wayne Connell informed employees that they were to work from home on Wednesday and be on hand to attend a Zoom webinar where they&#8217;d be informed of &#8220;some significant actions across the company.&#8221;
The &#8220;significant actions&#8221; mentioned appear to be the abrupt termination of the current sports section, the books section, and the Post Reports podcast — along with hundreds of employees across several different sections.
Several employees shared the news directly on X.
Correspondent Yeganeh Torbati posted, &#8220;I&#8217;m heartbroken to announce that I&#8217;ve been laid off from my position at The Washington Post. Working at this newspaper, and especially being a foreign correspondent covering Iran and Turkey over the last few short months, was a dream come true for me.&#8221;
Sports columnist Barry Svrluga announced the demise of his own section: &#8220;&#8216;First, we will be closing the Sports department in its current form.&#8217; — Matt Murray, editor of the Post.&#8221;
&#8220;Some personal news: I’m among today’s @washingtonpost layoffs. It was a dream 11-year run as an investigative reporter focused on sports—making billionaires tremble (or at least mildly annoying them and their lawyers),&#8221; said sports investigative reporter Will Hobson.
Caroline O&#8217;Donovan, Amazon beat reporter: &#8220;I’m out, along with just a ton of the best in the biz. Horrible.&#8221;
&#8220;I’m among the hundreds of people laid off by The Post,&#8221; race and ethnicity reporter Emmanuel Felton claimed that the move was &#8220;ideological&#8221; because his job had previously been labeled a boon for the outlet. &#8220;This comes six months after hearing in a national meeting that race coverage drives subscriptions. This wasn’t a financial decision, it was an ideological one.&#8221;
Tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler added, &#8220;After 8 years writing the tech column @washingtonpost, I am among folks who were laid off today. I’m grateful for the stories I got to tell and the impact we made on privacy, sustainability &amp; AI.&#8221;
Critics of the move complained that the cuts were a bridge too far.
Retired Washington Post editor Robert McCartney added, &#8220;Apparently The Post has laid off every reporter and editor covering the Middle East. Jerusalem bureau closed. Also Ukraine bureau closed.&#8221;
&#8220;The @WashPost has now laid off its Asia editor, its New Delhi bureau chief, its Sydney bureau chief, its Cairo bureau chief, the entire Middle East reporting team, China correspondents, Iran correspondents, Turkey correspondents, and many more. The world is becoming less America-centric by the minute while the United States is becoming more America-centric than ever. It is just a depressing yet somehow perfect summation of our current moment that one of the most important newspapers in the history of the country — one that has actually shaped the history of the United States &#8211; doesn&#8217;t think reporting on the world is of any use anymore. What an utterly perfect encapsulation of where we have arrived,&#8221; Evan Feigenbaum posted.
But some argued that the cuts were the obvious next step, and people should have seen them coming.
&#8220;Over the last decade at the Washington Post: — A number of major corrections and journalistic scandals. —Major intra-newsroom drama with reporters threatening to sue the paper. — Declining circulation and losing lots of money. Stop acting like the layoffs are shocking,&#8221; Mark Hemingway posted.
Clay Travis added, &#8220;The Washington Post made its business contingent on far left wing subscribers who hated Trump &amp; when Bezos became embarrassed by the far left wing product that created, he tried to fix it by moving closer to the center. But the Post’s subscribers revolted, crushing the business.&#8221;
&#8220;The business lesson here is newspaper subscribers at the WaPo and New York Times don’t want centrist, fair journalism, they want to be told their political opponents are evil Nazis and they are the heroic good guys. That narrative must dominate all coverage,&#8221; he added.

Legacy News Outlet Tells Hundreds To Work From Home On Wednesday, Cuts 300 Jobs In Zoom Meeting

Legacy Media Takes Another Blow As Storied Outlet Cuts 300 Jobs

Jobs

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Justice Department from searching Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson&#8217;s devices, which were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-searches-washington-post-reporters-home-in-classified-docs-probe-leaker-behind-bars">confiscated</a> under an FBI search warrant last week as part of a federal investigation into leaked classified materials.
U.S. Magistrate Judge William Porter said on Wednesday that federal prosecutors cannot search Natanson&#8217;s devices as he weighs whether the government must turn the devices back over to the reporter, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-judge-temporarily-blocks-review-material-seized-washington-post-reporter-2026-01-21/">reported</a>. Natanson and the Post argue that the FBI&#8217;s seizure of Natanson&#8217;s devices violate the First Amendment.
Porter said that Natanson and the Post “demonstrated good cause in their filings to maintain the status quo” until he can fully review the case. The judge also ordered the government to respond to the Post&#8217;s legal filing by January 28, with a hearing scheduled for early next month, the Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/21/washington-post-hannah-natanson-search-court-filing/">reported</a>.
Journalists who publish classified information are protected under U.S. law, provided they obtained the classified material without coercion and did not ask anyone to break the law.
The FBI seized two laptops, a phone, and a Garmin watch from Natanson as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of leaking classified government materials. Natanson is not the target of the investigation, which is focused on Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a contractor with top-secret security clearance who allegedly took classified intelligence reports to his home.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said last week that Natanson was reporting on classified information that was “illegally leaked” by a “Pentagon contractor.” Bondi added that the accused leaker, whom she did not publicly identify, is in jail.
Natanson focuses on “covering the Trump administration’s reshaping of the government&#8221; and was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team at the Post. She has described herself as “the federal government whisperer” and wrote in an article published last month that she connected with more than 1,000 sources within the Trump administration after posting her phone number to an online forum for federal government employees. She said federal workers who reached out to her often expressed frustration with the administration.
The Washington Post condemned the federal government&#8217;s search of Natanson&#8217;s home and seizure of her devices.
“The outrageous seizure of our reporter’s confidential newsgathering materials chills speech, cripples reporting, and inflicts irreparable harm every day the government keeps its hands on these materials,&#8221; the Post said.
Last year, Bondi ended a policy implemented under former President Joe Biden that prohibited federal agencies from searching reporters’ devices to identify a leaker. Bondi said that under her leadership, federal authorities would search reporters’ devices and records only when necessary and after all other investigative avenues had been exhausted.

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Federal Judge Blocks DOJ From Searching Washington Post Reporter’s Devices In Classified Docs Probe

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