European leaders return to the Munich Security Conference facing tough discussions on Ukraine, Greenland and the future of NATO, a year after a critical speech from US Vice President JD Vance marked a turning point in transatlantic relations. Al Jazeera’s James Bays is there.
Published On 13 Feb 2026
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Regulating advanced AI isn’t a game of checkers. It’s a game of chess.
Every move matters. You have to think several steps ahead. And if you focus only on the next play — or worse, react after the fact — you risk losing the long game.
Today, the United States finds itself at a turning point on AI, where real policy choices are being made. You can see it in the actions underway in both the states and Washington.
In recent months, leaders in both New York and California have passed landmark AI safety legislation. California’s SB 53 took effect on January 1, while New York’s RAISE Act was signed into law by Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul in December and will take effect in 2027.
MIKE DAVIS: CONGRESS MUST STOP BIG TECH’S AI AMNESTY SCAM BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul delivers her State of the State address at Hart Theatre at The Egg in Albany, New York, Jan. 13, 2026. (Heather Ainsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Both states are moving toward approaches that align state and federal law — recognizing that a fragmented, state-by-state patchwork isn’t sustainable. Given their size and economic impact, these moves create a clear path forward for federal action while positioning New York and California to lead the nation into the AI era.
There’s a word for this kind of alignment between state and federal action: harmonization. The federal government sets one clear national standard for the most powerful AI systems — the issues that affect national security and the country as a whole. States continue to focus on the issues closest to people’s daily lives: consumer protection, civil rights and how AI is used in schools, workplaces and public services. Each level of government plays to its strengths.
Think of it as one rulebook with two clear roles and one urgent mission: ensuring the United States maintains its competitive advantage in a technology central to national security and global economic leadership. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said bluntly that whoever leads in AI will lead the world. The United States can’t afford to drift — or to divide itself — at this critical moment.
STATE-LEVEL AI RULES SURVIVE — FOR NOW — AS SENATE SINKS MORATORIUM DESPITE WHITE HOUSE PRESSURE
That’s because AI leadership is increasingly an issue of national security — and national security requires prevention, not punishment after the fact.
When states act alone, they are often forced into a liability-only approach — holding companies accountable after harm has already occurred. Preventing the most serious risks requires access to the technical expertise and classified systems that only the federal government possesses.
That is why our North Star must remain clear: deploying frontier models safely and in a way that best positions the United States to maintain its innovation lead.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION EYES SWEEPING FEDERAL POWER OVER AI, DRAFT ORDER SHOWS
That prevention-first approach already exists in practice. The Center for AI Standards and Innovation — created by the Biden administration and updated by the Trump administration — gives the federal government the ability to test and evaluate advanced AI systems before they are widely deployed. That kind of centralized testing is essential for managing risks that no single state or company can address on its own.
Without harmonization, AI companies would face a confusing patchwork of conflicting state requirements that slows innovation without improving public safety. With it, companies get clarity and consistency, the public gets stronger protections and states are given clear room to act where they add the most value.
Today, the United States finds itself at a turning point on AI, where real policy choices are being made. You can see it in the actions underway in both the states and Washington.
At the same time, states play a vital role, and the recent moves in New York and California show what that balance looks like in practice. By moving away from fragmented approaches and toward alignment, the two largest innovation economies in the country are helping create a de facto national standard that exists alongside, and not instead of, state action.
WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL PRESSES ALLIES TO FREE AI FROM INNOVATION-KILLING REGULATIONS
This is what harmonization looks like in practice: Washington focuses on the highest-stakes safety issues, while states address kitchen-table ones. It is a third way forward — avoiding both unregulated acceleration and fragmented overreach.
Think about how we handle car safety. We don’t wait for accidents to happen and then rely solely on lawsuits to make cars safer. The federal government sets clear national safety standards. It requires rigorous testing. And it makes seatbelts, airbags, and braking systems mandatory — with strict rules for how well they must perform — before cars ever hit the road. Liability still matters, but prevention comes first, because the stakes are too high to get it wrong.
That balance isn’t new. It’s how the United States has governed aviation, food and drug safety, financial markets and telecommunications. In each case, the federal government set clear national standards for systems that power the entire country, while states continued to play a critical role closer to home. The result wasn’t less innovation or less growth. It was regulatory clarity, economic growth, and American leadership.
CHINA RACES AHEAD ON AI —TRUMP WARNS AMERICA CAN’T REGULATE ITSELF INTO DEFEAT
I saw this dynamic firsthand in 1996, when I was working in the White House just as the internet was beginning to reshape the economy.
Washington faced a choice that feels familiar today: apply old rules to a new technology, or agree on a new national framework built for what was coming next. Democrats and Republicans chose the latter.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
The result was the Telecommunications Act of 1996. It wasn’t perfect, but it got the big things right. It created clear national standards, gave innovators room to build and helped position the United States to lead the internet era that followed.
Think of it as one rulebook with two clear roles and one urgent mission: ensuring the United States maintains its competitive advantage in a technology central to national security and global economic leadership.
The lesson is straightforward. When America sets smart, national standards for emerging technologies, we don’t fall behind — we lead.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The chessboard is set. If the United States focuses on prevention, harmonizes state and federal efforts, and keeps its eyes on that North Star, we can once again lead a defining technological era.
That’s how you win the long game: by playing chess, not checkers.
Four workers who returned home after completing work at a wedding ceremony in Aloli village of Gangapur police station area of Bhilwara district of Rajasthan state died under suspicious circumstances. It is being told that all four consumed the deadly chemical liquid used for cleaning utensils, mistaking it for alcohol.
Three died at Gangapur Hospital after their health deteriorated late at night, while one woman died during treatment at Mahatma Gandhi District Hospital in Bhilwara. Sensation has spread after the incident and District Collector Jasmeet Singh Sindhu, District Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Yadav reached the spot. FSL team also reached the spot.
Had brought liquid from wedding ceremony
District Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Singh said that in Gangapur area, Ratan (son Masriya Kanjar), Sushila Devi, Jamni Devi (wife Shankar Kanjar) and Badami Devi had taken the contract of washing utensils at a wedding ceremony of Shaitan Singh in Aloli three days ago. After the work was completed, he mistook the liquid for cleaning utensils from there and brought it home with him. The primary guess of the police is that due to the urge to get drunk, he mistook it for liquor and consumed it. Due to which all four died.
Collector-SP reached the spot, police in action
As soon as information about the accident was received, the District Collector and Superintendent of Police reached the spot with heavy casualties and took information from the family members. The police have kept the dead bodies in the mortuary. This news of mass death has created panic in the police, administration and excise department.
Drink dishwashing liquid mistaking it for alcohol
Police believe that prima facie it seems to be a case of drinking utensil washing chemical, mistaking it for alcohol. The situation will be completely clear only after the post mortem report and FSL investigation. At present the culprits and illegal acid sellers are being interrogated.
The deceased have been identified as Ratan Kanjar resident of Madhopura, Sushila Devi laborer, Jamani Devi wife Shankar Kanjar, Badami Devi. All of them died during treatment.
Zimbabwe bowl out a depleted Australia for 146 in 23-run win to humble one of the favourites for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Published On 13 Feb 2026
Zimbabwe beat a depleted Australia by 23 runs in Colombo to pull off the biggest shock of the T20 World Cup so far.
After posting 169-2 in their 20 overs on Friday, thanks mainly to Brian Bennett’s classy 64 not out, Zimbabwe had Australia 29-4 before dismissing them for 146 in 19.3 overs.
The Zimbabweans, ranked 11th, were always in control against their second-ranked opponents in the Group B game at R Premadasa Stadium after opening bowlers Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans ripped out Australia’s top order.
There were sensational scenes at the venue as a group of Zimbabwe fans dressed in their team jerseys celebrated the win with a traditional dance.
Muzarabani was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 4-17.
Australia retained hope of a rearguard victory when Glenn Maxwell and Matt Renshaw put on 77 for the fifth wicket.
But once part-time leg-spinner Ryan Burl induced one of the short game’s great players, Maxwell, to drag one on to his stumps for 31, they were never in the hunt and tumbled from 106-4 to 146 all out.
Opening batsman Bennett’s unbeaten 64 off 56 balls was an exercise in controlled aggression as he rarely went the aerial route and found the boundary seven times.
It was the 22-year-old’s 10th half-century in T20 internationals.
Bennett and Ryan Burl put on 70 for the second wicket, a record stand for Zimbabwe in T20 World Cups after an opening stand of 61 with Tadiwanashe Marumani.
Zimbabwe thrashed Oman in their opener.
Australia beat Ireland on Wednesday, but with matches to come against co-hosts Sri Lanka and Oman, another defeat could see them on the plane home after the group stage.
Without their captain Mitchell Marsh for the second match, and the previously ruled out pace spearheads Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, Australia’s campaign in the 20-nation tournament is in danger of falling apart at the first hurdle.
The former champions were left with more to worry about as Marcus Stoinis was struck on his left palm attempting a return catch halfway through his third over.
The all-rounder was accompanied off the field in pain and did come out to bat, but scored only six.
One bright spot was power batter Tim David being named in the team, however, after missing the Ireland win.
But he made a two-ball duck in his first game since suffering a hamstring injury in the Big Bash League.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Thursday the latest “worst of the worst” criminal illegal immigrants convicted of crimes nationwide, including murderers, pedophiles and drug traffickers.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) highlighted the convictions of five illegal immigrants from Vietnam, Honduras, Cuba and Mexico.
“While sanctuary politicians release criminal illegal aliens from their jails to victimize more American families and children, our officers continue to arrest criminals,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Yesterday, ICE arrested criminal illegal aliens convicted for murder, sexual assault of a CHILD, and drug trafficking.”
ICE announced the convictions of five more “worst of the worst” criminals in the United States. Those arrested were wanted of crimes such as murder, assault and drug-related charges. (DHS and Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)
McLaughlin added that nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal immigrants charged or convicted of a crime.
“This statistic does not even include foreign fugitives, gang members, and terrorists who lack a rap sheet in the U.S,” she said.
Muoi Van Duong, a criminal illegal immigrant from Vietnam, was convicted of murder with a firearm. (Department of Homeland Security)
Muoi Van Duong, an undocumented immigrant from Vietnam, was convicted of murder with a firearm in San Diego, California, according to DHS.
DHS said that Roberto Xochimitl-Flores, a criminal illegal immigrant from Mexico, was found guilty of second-degree sexual abuse: sexual contact with a person less than 14 years old in New York City.
Roberto Xochimitl-Flores, a Mexican national, was convicted of second-degree sexual abuse involving sexual contact with a person under 14 in New York City, according to DHS. (Department of Homeland Security)
Lisandro Omar Borjas-Aguirano, an illegal resident from Honduras, was convicted of sexual assault of a child in Collin County, Texas, according to DHS.
Lisandro Omar Borjas-Aguirano was convicted of sexual assault of a child in Collin County, Texas, DHS said. (Department of Homeland Security)
DHS announced that Rigoberto Salvia-Ricardo, a Cuban national, was convicted of sexual battery of a juvenile in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
Rigoberto Salvia-Ricardo, a Cuban national in the U.S. illegally, was convicted of sexual battery of a juvenile in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, according to DHS. (Department of Homeland Security)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Ricardo Rosas-Tapia, a criminal illegal immigrant from Mexico, was convicted of possession with intent to sell or distribute cocaine in Wake County, North Carolina.
Ricardo Rosas-Tapia was convicted on cocaine distribution charges in North Carolina. (Department of Homeland Security)
Kolkata. The England team has not been able to perform as per expectations so far, and if it has to maintain its hopes of making it to the Super Eight, then a big win in the Group C match of the T20 World Cup against Scotland on Saturday is necessary. West Indies top the group with two consecutive wins, while Scotland, Italy and England have won one each. On the basis of net run rate, Scotland has secured second place with a big win over Italy. Therefore, Saturday’s match can give any team an edge in the race for second place, as both the teams are expected to win their last group matches.
Scotland’s last league match will be against Nepal and England’s against Italy. The rivalry between England and Scotland is very old. Scotland has defeated England many times and its team would like to take inspiration from the same performance this time too. Scotland’s openers George Munsey and Michael Jones played well against England in 2024. Both of them had scored 26 runs in two overs of England spinner Adil Rashid and this time too their match will be worth watching.
The pressure on England has increased after the 30-run defeat against West Indies. The team captained by Harry Brook is in trouble. Even in the opening match against Nepal, England was close to defeat, but ultimately won by four runs. The defeat on the Wankhede pitch exposed England’s weakness against spin bowling. Chasing the target of 197 runs against West Indies, England did not play well in the middle overs and were out for 166 runs in 19 overs.
England’s record against lower ranked teams is also not special. It has played nine matches against such teams in the T20 World Cup, winning four and losing three. It has lost twice to Netherlands and once to Ireland. Scotland entered the World Cup late after Bangladesh refused to play in India, but have performed well so far. There was a defeat against West Indies in the first match, but the team made a comeback by defeating Italy in the second match. Both the batsmen and bowlers played well and the team is excited to maintain its momentum.
The teams are as follows: England: Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethel, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tong, Luke Wood.
Scotland: Richie Berrington (captain), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross, Bradley Cury, Oliver Davidson, Chris Greaves, Zainullah Ihsan, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Finlay McCreath, Brandon McMullan, George Munsey, Safyan Sharif, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal.
BREAKINGBREAKING,
Group’s co-founder declares ruling ‘monumental victory both for our fundamental freedoms here in Britain and in the struggle for freedom for the Palestinian people.’
Published On 13 Feb 2026
The High Court in the United Kingdom has ruled that the government ban on the pro-Palestinian campaign group called Palestine Action as a “terror group” was unlawful.
In a statement responding to the landmark ruling on Friday, the Claimant and co-founder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, said, “This is a monumental victory both for our fundamental freedoms here in Britain and in the struggle for freedom for the Palestinian people, striking down a decision that will forever be remembered as one of the most extreme attacks on free speech in recent British history.”
The United Kingdom said last June that it would ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws. This that put the organisation on par with armed groups like al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) in the UK, making it a criminal offence to be part of Palestine Action.
The government’s announcement prompted legal battles, criticism from human rights organisations and triggered protests.
More to come…
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Democratic state lawmakers in control of the Virginia legislature are fast-tracking a proposed new congressional map that would give the competitive state up to four more left-leaning U.S. House districts in time for this year’s midterm elections.
The map, which Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger is expected to sign early next week, comes as Virginia voters are getting ready to vote this spring on a ballot measure which would give the legislature, rather than the current non-partisan commission, redistricting power through the 2030 election.
Republicans are calling the Democrats’ redistricting effort an “unconstitutional power grab.” Democrats are countering that it’s a necessary step to balance out partisan gerrymandering already implemented in other states by the GOP.
Virginia is the latest battleground, with Florida on deck, in the ongoing high-stakes battle between President Donald Trump and Republicans versus Democrats to alter congressional maps ahead of November’s elections.
VIRGINIA JUDGE STRIKES BLOW TO DEMOCRATS REDISTRICTING PUSH
Lawmakers in the Democrat-controlled Virginia legislature are green-lighting a new congressional map that would give the electorally competitive state up to four more left-leaning U.S. House districts ahead of this year’s midterm elections. Pictured: Gov. Abigail Spanberger is seen at her inauguration ceremony on Jan. 17, 2026. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Republicans are defending their razor-thin House majority in the midterms, and Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to win back control of the chamber. That means the redistricting efforts in Virginia and other states may very well decide which party controls the House next year.
“It’s happening all over the country,” the narrator in a new ad by Virginians for Fair Elections says. “Politicians redrawing maps to rig the midterm elections. And Virginia can’t sit back and do nothing.”
The Democrat-aligned public advocacy group tells Fox News Digital it’s spending an initial seven figures to run the ad statewide in the Commonwealth.
The new map, if implemented before the midterms, could give the Democrats a shot at flipping four GOP-held congressional seats, turning a 6-5 edge in the state’s U.S. House delegation into a 10-1 advantage.
STUNNING SETBACK FOR TRUMP IN REDISTRICTING WARS
But the rival Virginians for Fair Maps, a Republican-aligned group that opposes the redistricting push, highlights that “Virginians came together to pass bipartisan redistricting reform — a process that took the power to draw maps out of politicians’ hands. Now, politicians in Richmond want to undo that progress.”
And the Republican National Committee has called the Democrats’ push in Virginia a “power grab.”
Democrats were dealt a big blow after a local court blocked their efforts to amend the state Constitution in order to redraw the lines, with a circuit court judge in conservative Tazewell County saying Democrats didn’t follow proper procedures.
The ruling was appealed, and both sides are waiting to see if the Virginia Supreme Court weighs in.
The clock is ticking, with early voting for the April 21 referendum scheduled to start on March 6.
President Donald Trump has urged Republican-controlled states to enact congressional redistricting ahead of November’s midterm elections. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterms, Trump last spring first floated the idea of rare, but not unheard of, mid-decade congressional redistricting.
The mission was simple: redraw congressional district maps in red states to pad the GOP’s razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.
Trump’s first target was Texas.
BIG WIN FOR TRUMP AS SUPREME COURT GREENLIGHTS TEXAS’ NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP
When asked by reporters last summer about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats across the country, the president said, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five.”
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called a special session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to pass the new map.
But Democratic state lawmakers, who broke quorum for two weeks as they fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting bill, energized Democrats across the country.
Among those leading the fight against Trump’s redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during an election night press conference at a California Democratic Party office Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Sacramento, after passage of a congressional redistricting referendum. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)
California voters in November overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative that temporarily sidetracked the left-leaning state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and returned the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature.
That is expected to result in five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the move by Texas to redraw their maps.
The fight quickly spread beyond Texas and California.
Republican-controlled Missouri and Ohio, and swing state North Carolina, where the GOP dominates the legislature, have drawn new maps as part of the president’s push.
In blows to Republicans, a Utah district judge late last year rejected a congressional district map drawn up by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature and instead approved an alternate that will create a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the midterms.
But Utah Republicans have appealed to the state Supreme Court to block a new court-ordered map for this year’s elections.
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith announces the results of a vote to redistrict the state’s congressional map, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. (Michael Conroy/AP Photo)
Meanwhile, Republicans in Indiana’s Senate in December defied Trump, shooting down a redistricting bill that had passed the state House. The showdown in the Indiana statehouse grabbed plenty of national attention.
Florida’s next up.
Two-term Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers in the GOP-dominated legislature are hoping to pick up an additional three to five right-leaning seats through a redistricting push during a special legislative session in April.
But the bid by DeSantis and Republicans in Tallahassee last week drew its first lawsuit, from a group aligned with Florida Democrats. The lawsuit contends that the governor and Secretary of State Cordy Byrd don’t have the legal authority to reshape election laws, after Byrd pushed back congressional qualifying dates from April to June.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has called a special session of the legislature in April to handle mid-decade congressional redistricting. (AP/Rebecca Blackwell)
Democrats in solidly blue Maryland are also pushing redistricting, which could result in one extra left-leaning congressional seat. But the effort, pushed by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and green-lighted by state House Democrats, is facing opposition from Senate President Bill Ferguson, a fellow Democrat.
Lastly, Republicans in South Carolina, Nebraska, Kansas and New Hampshire, and Democrats in Illinois and Washington State are also exploring possible bids to redraw the maps.
Hovering over the redistricting wars is the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule in Louisiana v. Callais, a crucial case that may lead to the overturning of a key provision in the Voting Rights Act.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
If the ruling goes the way of the conservatives on the high court, it could lead to the redrawing of a slew of majority-minority districts across the county, which would greatly favor Republicans.
But it is very much up in the air — when the court will rule, and what it will actually do.
The co-founder of Palestine Action has won a legal challenge to the home secretary’s decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws.
The proscription of Palestine Action, which categorised it alongside the likes of Islamic State, was the first of a direct action protest group and attracted widespread condemnation as well as a civil disobedience campaign defying the ban, during which more than 2,000 people have been arrested.
From 5 July last year, being a member of – or showing support for – the group became an offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Huda Ammori, a co-founder of Palestine Action, challenged the ban at a trial in the high court in London, part of which was held in secret and which concluded in December.
On Friday, three judges, led by the president of the king’s bench division, Dame Victoria Sharp, ruled that the decision to proscribe the group was unlawful.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
There are many reasons why covering Donald Trump is the journalistic challenge of a lifetime.
His temperament. His velocity. His volume. The sheer fact that he can generate three news cycles before most reporters have finished their first cup of coffee.
But there is one explanation that is often overlooked, and it may be the most important of all: Donald Trump understands the business of news better than any modern president — better, in many cases, than the people who work in it.
That may sound surprising. It shouldn’t.
CNN RATINGS DOWN BIGLY FROM 2017 ‘TRUMP BUMP’ THROUGH 2025 AMID CHANGING MEDIA LANDSCAPE
Trump did not grow up in politically friendly territory. Things were different for him before he entered the campaign world as a Republican. As a businessman and then a reality TV star, Trump luxuriated in dishy and usually aggrandizing gossip items, including in the august columns of New York Post legend Cindy Adams. His friendly, bantering relations with the press helped turn him into a larger-than-life figure.
But that all changed when he joined the political fray. Like George W. Bush before him, Trump learned how the press really works in a hostile environment. He was never granted automatic goodwill. He was rarely given the benefit of the doubt. He had to study the system, test it, provoke it, and sometimes fight it just to survive.
So he learned.
And he learned well.
Trump treat the media it as a rival, a foil, a stage and a punching bag. He studies it like a brilliant Ph.D. student. He probes it like a boxer testing defenses.
WHY TRUMP’S UNDENIABLE WINNING STREAK IS DRAWING A BARRAGE OF NEGATIVE COVERAGE
Other recent presidents — Democrats Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden — operated in a media climate that, while not always gentle, was structurally sympathetic. They were criticized, yes. But they were also understood. Interpreted generously. Given time. Granted patience. Their mistakes were often softened by context and explanation.
Trump never had that luxury.
President Donald Trump knows exactly where the media is fragile and vulnerable. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
So long before he descended the escalator in 2015 — long before rallies, red hats and chants — he was paying attention. Watching. Noticing patterns. Studying how stories were framed. Who was treated as “serious.” Who was treated as “dangerous.” Which narratives stuck. Which faded. Which sins were forgiven. Which were never forgotten.
DAN GAINOR: LIBERAL MEDIA TRIED TO DESTROY TRUMP. HE CRUSHED THEM INSTEAD
And he reached some conclusions.
He saw, first, a cultural bias — not necessarily in every article or every reporter, but in the air newsrooms breathe. In assumptions about what is normal and what is radical. In who is presumed reasonable and who is presumed reckless. Conservatives, he concluded, were playing uphill — and tens of millions of Americans knew it. It made them angry.
He saw, second, elitism: newsrooms clustered in a handful of coastal cities; journalists with similar educations, similar friends and similar politics. The press spoke endlessly about “ordinary Americans” while growing more distant from them every year. It struggled to grasp why illegal immigration worried so many families or why trade deals felt like personal losses in factory towns.
BROADCAST BIAS: ‘PUBLIC’ MEDIA FURIOUS WASHINGTON POST CUT BACK ON ANTI-TRUMP CRUSADE
He saw, third, a broken business model: newspapers and networks that missed the digital revolution; revenues shrinking; newsrooms shrinking; panic setting in. A few outlets found lifelines. Most did not. Layoffs became routine. Survival became uncertain.
And from these three problems flowed the fourth: collapsing trust.
When audiences see bias, distance and desperation, confidence erodes. And once credibility is gone, it is almost impossible to restore.
A THERAPIST’S WARNING: TRUMP DIDN’T BREAK AMERICA — PERMANENT OUTRAGE DID
Here is the great irony:
When Trump began attacking the media for these flaws, he did not fix them. He intensified them.
washin
His criticism put news organizations on the defensive. They closed ranks. They hardened. They became more ideological, more insular, more brittle. Every attack convinced them they must be doing something right. Often, it meant the opposite.
TRUMP TORCHES BIDEN’S SHUTOUT PRESS RECORD — OPENS FLOODGATES OF MEDIA ACCESS IN FIRST YEAR BACK
Trump, meanwhile, turned his feud with the press into a permanent political weapon.
Before him, Republicans sometimes complained about coverage. But Trump transformed grievance into theater. He did not merely dispute stories. He made the media itself a character in his drama — the villain, always lurking, always scheming.
With humor. With ridicule. With exaggeration. With showmanship.
DAN GAINOR: THE MEDIA ARE TIME TRAVELING BACK TO 2017 TO FIND THEIR MOJO AND TALKING POINTS
And it worked.
It still works.
This was never accidental.
MORNING GLORY: LEGACY MEDIA DIDN’T LOSE READERS, IT DROVE THEM AWAY
Behind the scenes, Trump and his advisers learned the incentives of modern journalism. They know which outlets crave clicks. Which reporters thrive on conflict. Which controversies spread fastest. Which phrases become headlines. Which outrages travel farthest.
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing from the White House in Washington, D.C., on February 6, 2026. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)
They understand the machinery.
They know how to trigger it. How to flood it. How to redirect it. How to exhaust it.
WHY TRUMP’S CONSTANT ATTACKS AND HIS SNIPING WITH ELON MUSK HELPS HIM AND KEEPS THE MEDIA SCRAMBLING
They know that outrage is oxygen. That conflict is currency. That attention is power.
And they know their supporters love watching it all unfold.
Criticism becomes proof of persecution. Coverage becomes confirmation of importance. Attacks become fuel.
Knowledge, in politics, is power. And Trump’s knowledge of the media has given him power — over the press and over his own movement.
He plays the system as it exists, not as journalists wish it were.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for the premiere of “Melania” at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
He understands that modern news is part information, part entertainment, part combat sport. He understands that narratives matter more than footnotes. That emotion beats nuance. That speed beats reflection.
BROADCAST BIAS: MEDIA CIRCLE THE WAGONS TO PROTECT THEIR ANTI-TRUMP REPORTING
So he moves fast. He moves loud. He moves relentlessly.
For reporters and news organizations, this is the real challenge:
Not simply covering what Trump says and does — but covering someone who understands their industry’s financial, cultural and psychological vulnerabilities and presses on them constantly.
Every weakness becomes leverage. Every habit becomes a pressure point.
Trump is not just running against and competing against Democrats.
He is running against and competing against the media.
President Donald Trump during an announcement in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He treats it as a rival, a foil, a stage and a punching bag. He studies it like a brilliant Ph.D. student. He probes it like a boxer testing defenses.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
And he knows exactly where it is fragile and vulnerable.
In an age when trust is scarce and attention is priceless, that knowledge may be his greatest political asset.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Better than any president in modern history — perhaps better than almost anyone in public life today — Donald Trump understands how the news business really works.
And he knows how to use that understanding to his advantage.
