A former staffer of The Washington Post is taking aim at its owner Jeff Bezos, accusing him of prioritizing his survival in the era of Donald Trump rather than saving his paper.

In a piece published Tuesday titled “A Billionaire’s Surrender,” former Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler began by highlighting Bezos’ net worth, noting that he was worth $25 billion in 2013 when he first bought the paper, and now he’s worth “about $250 billion” as major layoffs are expected to rock the newsroom.

“Bezos is a businessman, and the Washington Post is not a charity, so I understand the inclination to demand that losses be stemmed. The newsroom should be able to stand on its own feet,” Kessler wrote on his Substack. “But even if the losses are still around $100 million a year — the figure announced a couple of years ago — for a person of Bezos’ wealth, that would mean he’d have to close the place in… 2,500 years.”

He continued, “I don’t think the layoffs have much to do with saving money. Amazon, after all, just spent $75 million buying and promoting a documentary about Melania Trump. It’s about power and influence in Donald Trump’s second term.”

WASHINGTON POST STAFFERS FEELING ‘BETRAYED’ AS TURMOIL, LOOMING LAYOFFS ROCK BILLIONAIRE JEFF BEZOS’ NEWSROOM

A former Washington Post staffer accused his ex-billionaire boss Jeff Bezos of prioritizing self-preservation in the Trump era over saving the paper. ((Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Kessler, who took a voluntary buyout last summer after being at the paper for 27 years, recalled being part of a small group of Post journalists who had lunch with Bezos following the 2016 election and how Bezos was asked whether he had any concerns about Trump seeking retribution as president.

“Bezos acknowledged that Trump would assume any negative story about him had been ordered up by Bezos, because that’s what Trump would do if he owned a newspaper. But he said that wasn’t our problem. We only had to write the best stories possible; he could handle the heat if Trump got mad,” Kessler wrote. “Those were comforting words at the time. As far as I know, Bezos has never interfered with any news coverage during his 13 years as owner — even stories critical of Amazon or coverage of Bezos’s personal life, let alone politics. For many years, he didn’t even appear to get very involved with the editorial page, even though, as owner, he could dictate whatever opinion-page policy he wanted.”

WASHINGTON POST STAFFERS PLEAD WITH BILLIONAIRE OWNER JEFF BEZOS TO SAVE THE PAPER AMID MAJOR LOOMING LAYOFFS

Glenn Kessler left The Washington Post last summer after 27 years at the paper.  (Washington Post)

Despite Trump’s vocal animosity towards the Post, Bezos “was unbowed,” according to Kessler, pointing to its new slogan at the time “Democracy Dies in Darkness” and boosted the size of staff during Trump’s first term in office.

“He appeared to embrace the idea, dare I say, that he was the steward of a public trust,” Kessler told readers. “Presidential-level threats disappeared with Trump’s defeat in 2020, though Joe Biden was no fan of the tech industry. But when Trump ran again and the Democrats were on the ropes, Bezos’s calculation changed. He could afford Trump’s first term; a second could be ruinous, especially as Elon Musk, his main rival in the space business, embraced Trump.”

“I used to think billionaires had enough ‘f— you’ money to do what they pleased. But in Trump’s creeping autocracy, and with his campaign of retribution, billionaires have too much to lose,” he added.

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Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos has faced intense backlash as his paper continues facing financial headwinds.  (Stefano Rellandini/AFP via Getty Images)

Kessler went on to say Bezos “appeared to have grown less interested in The Post,” pointing to how the paper’s top rival The New York Times made savvy business decisions like acquiring The Athletic and Wordle while the billionaire “lavished attention on his new love, Lauren Sánchez, whom he married last year in Venice in a $50-million extravaganza.”

“No longer engaged, Bezos appears to have embraced a crude calculus: laying off staff and trimming the sails of a once-great news organization sends a message to an audience of one at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, even if the decision ruins the lives of scores of talented reporters and editors,” Kessler wrote before accusing Bezos of working hard “to ingratiate himself with Trump,” citing Amazon’s $1 million contribution to Trump’s inauguration and Bezos’ Mar-a-Lago visit. 

Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Bezos and The Washington Post for comment.

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Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez at the Dior fashion show as part of Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2026 held at the Musée Rodin on January 26, 2025 in Paris, France.  (Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images)

The criticism comes as Washington Post staffers brace for a brutal round of layoffs, which could take place as soon as this week.

Reports indicate that hundreds of staffers could be let go as a result of the cuts and multiple sections could be gutted, including the sports and the foreign affairs teams.

Bezos took heat from employees in 2024 when he abruptly axed the paper’s planned endorsement of Kamala Harris for the White House, after the editorial board had previously declared Trump the worst president in modern history. 

The surprising decision shortly before the election sparked massive subscriber losses and a slew of staff resignations. Bezos later fueled more outrage when he announced he was overhauling its editorial pages to promote “free markets and personal liberties.”

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Last Updated:February 04, 2026, 08:11 IST

Ranchi News: The secret of the health of 84-year-old farmer Shriram Charan Sahu of Kanke, Ranchi is his daily routine. Even today, he jogs and works in the fields every day. Throughout his life, he has described pure food, Tulsi water and hard work as the secret of his health. Let us know about him.

Federal lawmakers are demanding answers from the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) over its partnership with a Chinese Communist Party-controlled agribusiness and its push for DEI initiatives, citing national security concerns and questions about its tax-exempt status.

The inquiry is being led by the House Ways and Means Committee and the Congressional FFA Caucus, which say the organization’s relationship with Syngenta Group raises concerns about foreign influence and whether FFA is operating in line with its stated mission as a tax-exempt nonprofit.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith and Congressional FFA Caucus co-chair Tracey Mann sent a letter to National FFA CEO Scott Stump demanding documents and answers related to the partnership, Syngenta’s role in shaping internal policies and the organization’s compliance with federal tax law.

“Working with our nation’s foreign adversaries and prioritizing woke policies over your mission raises serious concerns regarding whether the National FFA is complying with the requirements to maintain tax-exempt status,” the lawmakers wrote.

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Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., is demanding answers from the National FFA over its partnership with a CCP-linked agribusiness citing national security tax status and foreign influence concerns. (Tom Williams)

In the letter, the committee emphasized FFA’s role in educating future agricultural leaders, noting the organization serves more than one million students through thousands of chapters across the country.

The lawmakers devoted a significant portion of the letter to detailing Syngenta Group’s ownership structure and its ties to the Chinese government, arguing the relationship raises red flags for a U.S.-based, tax-exempt youth organization tied to agriculture.

Syngenta has been wholly owned since 2017 by China National Chemical Corp., or ChemChina, a Chinese state-owned enterprise that later merged into Sinochem Holdings.

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Lawmakers dedicated a significant portion of the letter to outlining the Syngenta Group’s ties to the Chinese government. (Li He/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Both ChemChina and Sinochem were designated during the first Trump administration as Communist Chinese military companies, a classification used to identify firms linked to Beijing’s military-civil fusion strategy and restrict their access to U.S. government funding.

Lawmakers noted that while those designations were removed in 2021 under the Biden administration, Syngenta was later redesignated as a Chinese military company, underscoring ongoing concerns about its ties to the Chinese state.

The letter also pointed to actions by U.S. states and federal agencies to limit Chinese ownership and influence in American agriculture. It included efforts to force Syngenta subsidiaries to divest farmland and initiatives aimed at preventing the sale of U.S. agricultural land to Chinese entities on national security grounds.

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Lawmakers also expressed concern over the influence a Chinese state-owned company could exert over future agricultural leadership. (Ken Ishii – Pool/Getty Images)

Against that backdrop, lawmakers said Syngenta’s access to FFA leadership, programming and students raises concerns about the influence a Chinese state-owned company could exert over future American agricultural leaders.

“The CCP has a well-documented history of economic espionage to steal biotechnology and agriculture-related intellectual property, and the fact that the National FFA has provided one of their state-owned companies direct access to the future leaders of America’s farming industry is alarming,” the letter states.

The lawmakers also criticized FFA’s embrace of DEI initiatives, arguing the programs risk shifting the organization away from agricultural education and toward identity-based priorities that could divide students.

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They questioned whether Syngenta’s role in DEI-related efforts gave the company undue influence over FFA’s strategic direction.

“The goal of the National FFA should be to bring student members together as a community — not force them into specific categories,” the lawmakers wrote.

Smith and Mann said the inquiry is part of broader congressional oversight of tax-exempt organizations and their exposure to foreign influence, particularly as farm and food security are increasingly viewed as matters of national security.

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House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith and Rep. Tracey Mann cited remarks by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins that “farm security is national security.” (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Smith and Mann cited a statement from USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins that “farm security is national security.”

Ultimately, the letter directs National FFA to turn over documents and provide detailed answers about its partnership with Syngenta Group, including contracts and financial contributions, the role Syngenta employees play in leadership or advisory positions, and the company’s involvement in shaping FFA’s diversity and strategic programs.

In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, Smith said the committee is expanding its investigation to include the FFA over concerns about foreign influence and its impact on the organization’s mission.

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“The Ways and Means Committee is expanding our investigation into the malign foreign influence in the U.S. tax-exempt sector to include the FFA in light of deeply concerning reports that the organization has maintained ties to an entity controlled by the Chinese Communist Party — a relationship that appears to have influenced its decision-making,” Smith said. “The FFA plays a vital role in educating the next generation of farmers, strengthening American agriculture, and safeguarding our nation’s food supply and national security. That important mission must not be compromised.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the National FFA for comment on the matter.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, has been shot dead. According to Libyan media, his death was confirmed on Tuesday (3 February 2026). Saif al-Islam was 53 years old. His lawyer told that this incident happened in Zintan city of Libya, where his house was attacked by four armed men. The attackers have been described as a commando unit. At present it is not clear who carried out the attack and why.

According to AFP report, Saif al-Islam was once considered the successor of his father. He was an important face in Libyan politics. His father Muammar Gaddafi ruled Libya from 1969 to 2011. The Gaddafi government came to an end after the rebellion in 2011.

Played a role in improving relations with western countries

Saif al-Islam, born in 1972, played an important role in improving relations between Libya and Western countries after 2000. He led many international negotiations. Due to these efforts, Libya gave up its nuclear program, after which many international sanctions imposed on the country were lifted. This increased Saif’s political power and identity, although he did not hold any government post.

Jail, death penalty and controversy

After the fall of the Gaddafi government in 2011, Saif al-Islam was accused of suppressing anti-government protests. He was kept in prison by a militia from Zintan for about six years. In 2015, a Libyan court also sentenced him to death in his absence.

Announcement to contest presidential elections

Saif al-Islam had announced to contest the Libyan presidential elections in 2021, but the elections were postponed due to the unstable situation in the country. He always said that he was not in favor of inheriting power. He said that power is not a land which can be inherited. Saif al-Islam’s assassination is expected to increase instability in Libyan politics once again.

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Specialised gangs piloting drones to fly drugs and weapons into prisons are working up and down the country to “beat” the system, the governor of HMP Manchester has told Sky News.

The Category A prison, formerly known as Strangeways, has been described as having “ceded” its airspace to illegal drone operators, who are using increasingly sophisticated technology to deliver contraband to inmates.

“We’ve got prisoners that we’re catching with Rambo-style knives,” governor Rob Knight told Sky News.

“We’ve had a machete in the prison. We’ve had all sorts of manufactured lock knives.”

Sky News has obtained footage filmed by an inmate from inside his cell at HMP Manchester, showing a drone dangling a package at the end, attempting to smuggle in contraband.

It was later intercepted by staff, and the prisoner who filmed the footage in 2023 was sentenced to nine months for having a phone in jail.

There were 1,712 drone incidents in prisons in England and Wales between April 2024 and March 2025 – a new peak.

Drone incidents at prisons were up 1,140% in the five years to April 2025.

In a new report, the government’s independent spending watchdog, the National Audit Office (NAO), has said the prison service and the government have been “too slow” to respond to “urgent threats”, with maintenance backlogs and significant budget underspends on security measures like anti-drone equipment leaving prisons “vulnerable”.

Mr Knight describes the issue as having “moved into a new era”, with improvements in technology and advancing criminality.

“It’s moved from a position of haphazard youngsters or disorganised local criminals to now being gangs that are specialised in this, focused on this, and making a lot of money from doing it, so they are working up and down the country to beat our systems,” he said.

‘We don’t police the airspace’

Sky News spent a Friday evening with Greater Manchester Police in an unmarked car, as they showed us an illustration of the types of drones they have recovered on previous operations.

“People round here will just put the drone out with a package attached on to it, fly it over to the prison… the package will go in and the drone will just come back. And then they’re gone,” one officer told us.

“It’s as easy as that, and as quick as that,” she said.

“We don’t police the airspace,” Detective Chief Superintendent Lewis Hughes, of Greater Manchester Police, told Sky News.

“Organised criminals have cottoned on to the fact that it’s very difficult to target and intercept drones,” he said, describing how “technically complicated” it is to stop a drone mid-flight, “especially when you don’t know where that pilot is”.

He added: “It’s a growing and evolving problem. Whilst drones have been around for a while now, they’ve never been more readily available.”

Last autumn, Sky News cameras captured drones flying packages of drugs into HMP Wandsworth in the middle of the night.

One delivery went directly to an inmate’s window, though it was later intercepted by staff.

“A lot of prisons, particularly the older prisons, weren’t built with the need to protect against drones in mind,” Jenny George, from the National Audit Office, told Sky News.

“So things like window security need to be improved in order for the prison to be safer.”

Prisons have “not responded with enough urgency to security weaknesses,” Ms George said.

The maintenance backlog for repairs across the prison estate doubled from £0.9bn to £1.8bn between 2020 and 2024.

“There are sometimes frustrating delays,” Mr Knight told Sky News, referring to the procurement process.

“We’re going to be introducing windows here which will be, I think, the first of their kind in this country, which will be drone-proof – we hope.

“I don’t think anything is indestructible but we’re trying to design a window that is as indestructible as possible.

“That has to go through a testing process, it then has to go through planning permission,” he said.

Drugs fuelling ‘violent cycle’ in prisons

The prison service has faced “financial constraints” and “competing priorities” of where to spend funding, Ms George said.

However, it is also in an unusual position of leaving large sums unspent, despite staff frustrations with the slow pace of repairs and improvements.

The NAO report found that the prison service failed to spend £30m (31%) of its drugs strategy funding and £25m (25%) of wider security investment, between March 2019 and March 2025.

There were underspends across several major programmes, including £9.5m which had been earmarked for drug security measures, such as anti-drone kits.

Another £11.2m, which was meant to be spent on physical security measures, including gates, was not used.

Among the reasons the money could not be spent were late approvals from government ministers, which “severely” limited spending.

Meanwhile, funding has fallen for addiction treatment services despite the increase in drug use by prisoners.

And there are large regional differences in spending, which NHS England has not investigated.

In 2024-25, the London region spent around 72% more per prisoner than the eastern region on substance misuse treatment.

The NAO says better co-ordination between healthcare and prison services is essential to give prisoners access to the support they need.

They highlight that 160,000 substance misuse appointments were missed in 2024-25 – amounting to just over a third of the total.

That is despite almost half of the prison population in England and Wales, 40,000 people, having an identified problem in April last year, with 136 drug-related deaths investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman between 2022 and 2024 – 16% of all deaths investigated.

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October: Sky News films drones dropping drugs into prison

The government has said it is boosting support for offenders to help overcome their addictions, by funding substance-free units in prisons and employing specialist staff.

Drugs contribute to “a violent cycle” in prisons, where violent and unstable prison conditions fuel further demand for drugs, Ms George explained.

The report recommends that the prison service address security as a matter of urgency.

Lord Timpson, the prisons minister, said the NAO report exposes the “failings” that the government “inherited with underinvestment in security contributing to the unacceptable levels of drugs behind bars”.

He added: “We are taking decisive action to grip this crisis, investing £40m to bolster security including anti-drone measures like reinforced windows and specialist netting to keep contraband out.”