Media News Daily: Top Stories for 08/04/2026

Mother Jones Criticizes Washington Post Wealth Tax Coverage

Mother Jones argues that The Washington Post has repeatedly published opinion pieces opposing wealth taxes and taxes on unrealized gains, raising questions about the influence of owner Jeff Bezos and the paper’s editorial direction. The article focuses on a recent op-ed by former Sen. Ben Nelson, who is affiliated with the dark money group Saving America’s Family Enterprises, and criticizes its argument that wealth taxes could harm family farms. Mother Jones says that claim relies on long-debunked anti-tax rhetoric and contends that the broader debate reflects the growing influence of billionaires and wealthy interests over media, tax policy, and democracy. (Read More) (Mother Jones Rating)

Myspace Owners Plan Platform Relaunch

Myspace’s owners, Tim and Chris Vanderhook, are planning to relaunch the once-dominant social media platform after roughly two decades of decline. The relaunch does not yet have a target date, but the owners say the new version will differ from current social platforms that rely heavily on algorithms. Tim Vanderhook said in a documentary titled Myspace that previous attempts to modernize the platform failed because it was no longer the same company. Co-founder Tom Anderson, who sold Myspace in 2005, is not expected to be involved in the relaunch. (Read More) (Mediapost Rating)

Big Tech Expands AI Data Center Commitments

Major technology companies are rapidly expanding AI infrastructure through massive data center financing, leases, and power agreements. A Morgan Stanley-led banking consortium is reportedly lending $15 billion to Nexus Data Centers for an AI-ready campus in Hubbard, Texas, while Google is reportedly guaranteeing billions of dollars in Anthropic lease and power obligations tied to the site. The facility would include four Anthropic data center leases and a 1.6-gigawatt natural-gas power plant. Microsoft said it brought 88 data centers online in the last fiscal year, while Meta disclosed nearly $700 billion in future commitments tied to AI data centers, cloud computing, and related infrastructure. (Read More) (Mediapost Rating)