The Senate’s top Republican leader threw cold water on President Donald Trump’s desire to nationalize elections, arguing he was in favor of ‘decentralized, distributed power.’ 

Trump, during an appearance on former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s podcast, contended that it was ‘amazing Republicans aren’t tougher’ on elections. 

‘The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over, we should take over the voting in at least many — 15 places,’’ Trump said. ‘The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that are so crooked.’

But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., rejected the notion. He said that while he was supportive of only citizens voting and showing identification at polling places to do so, he was not in ‘favor of federalizing elections.’

‘That’s a constitutional issue. You gotta be a citizen to vote in our elections,’ Thune said. 

Trump’s ability to morph and shape the election landscape runs into constitutional barriers, notably that elections are run by state and local officials in all 50 states. The federal government has a limited role in that process. 

Thune also noted that echoes of the idea were once pushed by congressional Democrats years ago — something that Senate Republicans resoundingly crushed.

‘But there are other things that the Dems had in their proposal to federalize elections which are really bad outcomes for the country,’ he said. ‘I’m a big believer in decentralized, distributed power. And I think, you know, it’s harder to hack 50 election systems than it is to hack one.’ 

Congressional Republicans strongly pushed back against pushes by their counterparts to pass election reform legislation, notably the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act, which they argued at the time would effectively nationalize elections and give Democrats control of the election system across the country. 

Trump’s suggestion came after the FBI raided an election hub in Fulton County, Ga., where federal law enforcement officials were authorized to seize election records, voting rolls and other data tied to the 2020 election.

It also comes as congressional Republicans wrestle with the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which previously passed the House but has not gotten a vote in the Senate. 

That legislation would require states to obtain proof of citizenship in-person when people register to vote and remove noncitizens from voter rolls. A modified version of the bill gaining steam among conservatives would require photo ID when voting.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed Trump’s comments and the SAVE Act and affirmed that the bill would never pass through the Senate. 

‘Now as for the SAVE Act itself: it has nothing to do with protecting our elections and everything to do with federalizing voter suppression,’ Schumer said. ‘The SAVE Act is nothing more than Jim Crow 2.0.’

Thune rejected the idea, citing constitutional concerns about federalizing elections

Six Iranian gunboats unsuccessfully attempted to halt a U.S.-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The security firm Vanguard Tech told its clients on Tuesday that the Iranian vessels were armed with .50-caliber guns, and they ordered the oil tanker to turn off its engines and prepare to be boarded. Instead, the tanker sped up and was ultimately escorted to safety by a U.S. Navy vessel, according to the Journal.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

The incident comes as the U.S. continues to ramp up its military presence surrounding Iran, with President Donald Trump describing an ‘armada’ arrayed in the area.

Iran’s regime has vowed that any military strike on its territory would ignite a regional conflict, even as senior Iranian officials signaled a willingness to negotiate with the U.S.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel on Tuesday for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, according to Axios. The publication also reported that Witkoff will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul on Friday.

The talks in Israel are expected to focus on Iran, following Zamir’s weekend visit to Washington, where he held a series of meetings with U.S. defense officials on the Islamic Republic.

Trump said on Saturday he believes Iran is negotiating ‘seriously’ with the U.S., stressing that he hopes an ‘acceptable’ deal can be brokered.

When asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One whether he had decided on a strike against Iran, Trump responded, ‘I certainly can’t tell you that.’

‘But we do have very big, powerful ships heading in that direction,’ he added. ‘I hope they negotiate something that’s acceptable.’

The president then sidestepped a question about whether Tehran would be emboldened if the U.S. opted not to launch strikes on Iran, saying, ‘Some people think that. Some people don’t.’

‘You could make a negotiated deal that would be satisfactory with no nuclear weapons,’ Trump said. ‘They should do that, but I don’t know that they will. But they are talking to us. Seriously talking to us.’

Fox News’ Efrat Lachter and Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.

The end of the current government shutdown is in sight on its fourth day after Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., managed to corral nearly all of his House GOP lawmakers to advance the legislation.

The Senate’s federal funding deal survived an important hurdle late Tuesday morning, clearing a House-wide ‘rule vote’ to allow for lawmakers to debate the measure and set up a vote on final passage by early afternoon.

It comes after a pair of House conservatives announced they would be backing off their threats to sink the legislation during the rule vote if the legislation was not paired with an unrelated election integrity bill called the SAVE America Act.

A rule vote is a House-wide test vote of sorts for most bills before they are considered for final passage. They normally fall along partisan lines even if the underlying bill has bipartisan support.

The same is true in this case, where at least several House Democrats are expected to support the funding bill during final passage — despite House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., strongly coming out against it.

But for Johnson, that meant navigating a razor-thin one-seat majority to get nearly all House Republicans to vote in lockstep to advance the legislation.

Democrats had initially walked away from a bipartisan House deal to finish funding the federal government through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2026 on Sept. 30, rebelling against a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over President Donald Trump’s handling of unrest in Minneapolis.

It left roughly 78% of the government’s yearly funding hanging in the balance. The DHS bill was lumped into a wider package authorizing budgets for the departments of War, Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Education.

A new deal hashed out between Senate Democrats and the White House would fully fund those remaining areas while only extending current funding levels for DHS through Feb. 13, in order to give Democrats and Republicans time to hash out a longer-term bipartisan plan.

And despite most House Republicans coming on board — some more reluctant than others over the prospect of dealing with Democrats — Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., and Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., warned they would not support the bill during the rule vote without the SAVE America Act attached.

The SAVE America Act would require voter ID at the polls and create a new proof of citizenship mandate in the voter registration process.

But that would require it to be sent back to the Senate for additional approval, where Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said it was dead on arrival.

However, Luna told reporters on Monday night that she and Burchett both changed their minds after getting assurances from the White House that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., would force a vote on the SAVE America Act.

‘As of right now, with the current agreement that we have, as well as discussions, we will both be a yes on the rule,’ Luna said. ‘There is something called a standing filibuster that would effectively allow Senator Thune to put voter ID on the floor of the Senate. We are hearing that that is going well, and he is considering that…so we are very happy about that.’

House lawmakers will now debate the underlying bill, which will see a final vote around 1 p.m. ET.

Authorities overseeing some of Britain’s most famous countryside landscapes are launching targeted outreach programs aimed at ethnic minority communities, after a government-commissioned review warned rural areas are widely perceived as a ‘white’ and unwelcoming space.

‘The countryside is seen by both black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and white people as very much a ‘white’ environment,’ the report stated, ‘We are all paying for national landscapes through our taxes, and yet sometimes on our visits it has felt as if National Parks are an exclusive, mainly white, mainly middle‑class club, with rules only members understand and much too little done to encourage first time visitors.’

Critics say the initiative reflects misplaced government priorities. Michael McManus, director of research at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital: ‘At a time of low growth, high taxes and stretched public services, it’s astonishing that ministers are spending time and money worrying about the ‘whiteness’ of the countryside. Government exists to grow the economy and fix real problems, not to indulge in culture war distractions that deliver nothing for working people.’

The initiatives stem from the 2019 Landscapes Review, commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and led by author Julian Glover. The review concluded that England’s protected landscapes often feel disconnected from large parts of the population.

The review also criticized the leadership of protected landscapes, arguing that governance bodies do not reflect the country they serve. ‘Of the almost 1,000 people on National Park and AONB boards today, the great majority are male… and a tiny fraction are of black, Asian or minority ethnicities,’ the report said, calling that imbalance ‘wrong for organizations which are funded by the nation to serve everyone.’

Following the review, organizations representing National Landscapes, formerly known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, have published updated management plans outlining steps to attract more diverse visitors. According to individual plans published between 2024 and 2025, and as reported by U.K. outlets including LBC and GB News, the measures apply to landscapes including the Cotswolds, the Chilterns, the Malvern Hills and others.

Under those plans, the Chilterns National Landscape will launch targeted outreach programs in Luton and High Wycombe, areas with large Muslim populations. One barrier cited in follow-up research was concern among some visitors about unleashed dogs in rural areas.

The Cotswolds National Landscape referenced the DEFRA findings directly, saying it is seeking to broaden its appeal to reach ‘the widest demographic.’

In its own management strategy, the Malvern Hills National Landscape said many minority communities lack a generational connection to the countryside because parents and grandparents ‘did not always feel welcome in it.’ The plan added that while many white English visitors value solitude, ethnic minority visitors may be more inclined toward group or family-based activities.

Other landscapes raised similar concerns. Nidderdale National Landscape in North Yorkshire warned that ethnic minority visitors may worry about how they will be received in unfamiliar rural settings. Dedham Vale, Surrey Hills, and Suffolk and Essex Coast Heaths said they aim to identify and address barriers limiting access for under-represented groups, including people without English as a first language.

Together, the plans signal a broader shift in how Britain’s publicly funded countryside is managed, as landscape authorities face growing pressure to demonstrate cultural relevance to a changing society, even as critics warn the focus risks sidelining economic priorities and traditional conservation goals.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs in England for comment but did not receive a response before publication.

A group of Senate Republicans warned the Trump administration that floods of ‘illicit Chinese e-cigarettes’ entering the country carried a darker side effect.

Several Senate Republicans alerted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital that the Chinese government was reaping massive profits from the devices.

And given that connection between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (CSTMA), it’s possible that so-called smart vapes could be used as spying devices.

The lawmakers charged that the ‘highly sophisticated’ vapes had the ability to connect to a person’s cellphone and have become extremely commonplace.

‘These devices have the capacity to initiate data breaches or malware infections and can also access and collect sensitive user data,’ they wrote. ‘Given the interconnected relationship between Chinese industry and state intelligence services, the targeting of U.S. military personnel with these devices raises profound national security concerns.’

President Donald Trump made the crackdown against Chinese vapes one of the many side quests that his administration pursued last year, going so far as to try and crush the supply of the devices at ports across the country.

Last year, for example, the Trump-led Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the capture of roughly $90 million worth of vape products from China in one fell swoop.

The lawmakers, which included Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Katie Britt, R-Ala., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and nine others, lauded Trump’s ‘aggressive, multi-agency enforcement actions’ against the influx of vapes, but noted that the ‘magnitude and consequence requires a comprehensive strategy and response.’

It’s not just a spying threat either.

The Republicans contended that the funding generated by the sale of vapes could be funneled toward military or technological initiatives in China meant to undermine American interests.

They also noted that the vapes have been linked by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to Mexican cartels, specifically using the devices and operations as a money laundering front. That trade-based money laundering scheme, the lawmakers said, was part of a plan to move fentanyl proceeds on behalf of the cartels.

‘Given the scale and severity of this threat, we urge the Treasury Department and USTR to use their respective enforcement and diplomatic authorities to combat illegal Chinese e-cigarettes,’ they wrote.

Investigations by Credit Suisse have uncovered hundreds of Nazi-linked accounts at the bank, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, announced Tuesday.

Multiple reports provided to Grassley have identified 890 accounts linked to the Nazi regime, including wartime accounts for the German Foreign Office, a German arms manufacturing company and the German Red Cross, Grassley told reporters Monday.

The new accounts are coming to light after UBS acquired Credit Suisse in a 2023 takeover. The bank then hired U.S. prosecutor Neil Barofsky to identify any Nazi-linked accounts.

Grassley and representatives of UBS will dig deeper into the findings during a Senate Judiciary hearing on connections between various Swiss banks and the Nazis later Tuesday morning.

‘We approach today’s topic with solemn respect,’ Robert Karofsky, president of UBS Americas, is expected to say at the hearing, according to a copy of his remarks obtained by NBC News.

‘Now, with three years of experience, our priority is to complete this review so that the world can benefit from the findings in the coming final report,’ the remarks continue.

Grassley’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Tuesday’s hearing comes a week after International Holocaust Remembrance Day, during which President Donald Trump’s administration reflected on the genocide committed by Nazi Germany during World War II.

‘Today, we pay respect to the blessed memories of the millions of Jewish people, who were murdered at the hands of the Nazi Regime and its collaborators during the Holocaust— as well as the Slavs and the Roma, people with disabilities, religious leaders, persons targeted based on their sexual orientation, and political prisoners who were also targeted for systematic slaughter,’ Trump said in a statement.

‘On January 27, 1945, 81 years ago today, Allied forces liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi Regime’s largest concentration and death camp in World War II, where over one million people were marched to their senseless deaths,’ the presidential message, released by the White House, noted.

Trump noted that since returning to the presidency last year he has sought to use the federal government to battle antisemitism.

‘After I took office as the 47th President of the United States, I proudly made it this administration’s priority directing the Federal Government to use all appropriate legal tools to combat the scourge of antisemitism. My Administration will remain a steadfast and unequivocal champion for Jewish Americans and the God-given right of every American to practice their faith freely, openly, and without fear,’ he asserted.

The Department of War is moving to overhaul its partnership with Scouting America, saying the organization must return to ‘core values’ and eliminate DEI policies to remain eligible for federal support.

The review focused on the department’s financial relationship with Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America, including its involvement in the organization’s National Jamboree, Sean Parnell, assistant to the Secretary of War for public affairs, said in a statement posted on social media.

Parnell described Scouting America as ‘a great organization’ that has ‘lost its way’ in recent years.

‘But, for more than a decade now, Scouting America’s leadership has made decisions that run counter to the values of this administration and this Department of War, including an embrace of DEl and other social justice, gender-fluid ideological stances. This is unacceptable,’ he wrote.

Parnell referenced an executive order that President Donald Trump signed at the start of his second term that focused on ‘terminating radical DEl preferencing in federal contracting,’ adding that all organizations affiliated with the department must meet that standard.

DOW and Scouting America are nearing a final agreement, according to Parnell.

‘Scouting America remains far from perfect, but they have firmly committed to a return to core principles,’ Parnell wrote. ‘Back to God and country—immediately!’

Scouting America told Fox News Digital in a statement via email that the organization was ‘encouraged’ by Parnell’s post.

‘For nearly 116 years Scouting has stood as a cornerstone of American ideals, good citizenship, service, and adventure for American youth,’ Scouting America said. ‘We are encouraged by [Monday’s] social media post by the Pentagon, and we look forward to providing more details as we move ahead.’

Parnell, however, added that the partnership would continue only on condition that Scouting America ‘rapidly implements the common-sense, core value reforms’ the Trump administration has put forth.

‘They are on the clock, and we are watching,’ Parnell wrote, adding that officials may have more to announce soon.

President Donald Trump urged Republicans to ‘take over’ and ‘nationalize’ voting on Monday.

Trump made the comments during an interview with former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. Under the Constitution, states set the rules for both federal and state elections, establishing ‘the times, places, and manner of holding elections for the House of Representatives and the Senate.’

‘The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,” Trump told Bongino. ‘We should take over the voting … in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that are so crooked and they’re counting votes.’

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pounced on the idea during remarks on the floor of the Senate.

‘Just a few hours ago, Donald Trump said he wants to nationalize elections around the country. That’s what Trump said. You think he believes in democracy? He said, ‘We want to take over, the Republicans ought to nationalize the voting,” Schumer said Monday. ‘Does Donald Trump need a copy of the Constitution? What he is saying is outlandishly illegal.’

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson later clarified Trump’s comments in a statement to ABC News. She argued Trump was expressing his desire for the U.S. to have free and fair elections.

‘President Trump cares deeply about the safety and security of our elections – that’s why he’s urged Congress to pass the SAVE Act and other legislative proposals that would establish a uniform standard of photo ID for voting, prohibit no-excuse mail-in voting, and end the practice of ballot harvesting,’ Jackson said.

Trump’s comments come amid a desperate battle for advantage in the 2026 midterm elections. The GOP and Democrats battled over Congressional redistricting plans throughout last year, with Texas redrawing maps to create five new GOP-favored seats and California countering with its own new maps.

More redistricting battles are continuing across the country as the midterms near.

Republicans currently hold a razor-thin majority in the House, and midterm elections are historically unfavorable for the sitting president’s party.

Trump kicked off an aggressive midterm campaign schedule with a rally in Iowa last week, warning supporters that losing control of Congress would jeopardize his tax cuts, border policies and broader second-term agenda as he urged Republicans to turn out and ‘win the midterms.’

‘If we lose the midterms, you’ll lose so many of the things that we’re talking about, so many of the assets that we’re talking about, so many of the tax cuts that we’re talking about, and it would lead to very bad things,’ Trump told the crowd.

Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

Laura Fernández Delgado declared victory in the Costa Rican presidential election on Sunday after preliminary results showed her Sovereign People’s Party leading the national vote with just over 48% support.

The National Liberation Party followed in second place with approximately 33% of the vote, according to the latest official tally from Costa Rica’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal, which oversees and certifies national elections.

‘Change will be deep and irreversible,’ Fernández said at her victory party in San Jose, according to a translation of her remarks from Reuters.

A former government minister, she is the handpicked successor of outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, who is constitutionally prohibited from seeking re-election.

Fernández, 39, is set to become Costa Rica’s second female president, after Laura Chinchilla, who served from 2010 to 2014.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday congratulated Fernández on her victory in Costa Rica’s presidential election, emphasizing the United States’ commitment to working closely with her incoming administration.

‘Under her leadership, we are confident Costa Rica will continue to advance shared priorities to include combatting narco-trafficking, ending illegal immigration to the United States, promoting cybersecurity and secure telecommunications, and strengthening economic ties,’ Rubio said.

Reuters reported that Fernández, who is married and has a young daughter, has built her political profile around conservative Catholic values and a strong emphasis on family, helping her gain traction among Costa Rica’s expanding evangelical electorate.

She has publicly expressed admiration for Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, and his tough stance on crime, signaling openness to enhanced security measures in violence-prone areas.

Fernández has also said she would complete construction of a maximum-security prison modeled on El Salvador’s CECOT facility as part of a broader strategy to address serious crime.

The president-elect is scheduled to be sworn in on May 8.

Fox News’ Emma Bussey contributed to this report.

On Tuesday in Washington, Congress is holding a high-stakes hearing that goes well beyond Hollywood — it’s about American jobs, who controls our media and U.S. national security. If Ronald Reagan were alive today, he would urge every American to watch this hearing closely. Reagan understood that culture, storytelling and media are powerful weapons in the battle of ideas — and that foreign adversaries use them to weaken free societies from within.

Lawmakers are weighing whether U.S. companies like Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery will be allowed to compete and grow — or whether government action will weaken them at a moment when foreign powers are aggressively using media and culture to influence the world.

This matters to everyday Americans because media is no longer just entertainment. It shapes public opinion, exports American values and serves as a counterweight to authoritarian propaganda. When U.S. companies are weakened, foreign governments — especially China — fill the void.

Decisions made Tuesday on Capitol Hill will help determine whether American storytelling remains independent and secure, or whether foreign influence gains even more ground inside one of America’s most powerful strategic assets.

At the center of this debate is the proposed merger between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery. This should not be treated as just another corporate deal. It directly affects American jobs, American moviemaking and America’s ability to compete in a global information war.

For more than a century, American films and television have carried our values around the world — freedom, creativity and open expression. That cultural influence has been one of America’s greatest strategic advantages. Today, it is under real threat.

The entertainment industry supports hundreds of thousands of good-paying American jobs — writers, actors, camera crews, editors, visual-effects artists, set builders, marketers and engineers. These are middle-class jobs spread across states like California, Georgia, New Mexico, Texas and New Jersey.

And this is not theoretical.

Netflix recently committed $1 billion to build a new production studio at the former Fort Monmouth Army base in New Jersey, a project expected to create more than 5,000 high-paying American jobs. That investment transforms a former military base into an engine of American production, innovation and employment — and it only happens when companies have the scale and stability to invest for the long term.

Streaming, however, is capital-intensive. When companies are weakened or fragmented, productions slow, opportunities shrink and layoffs follow. Scale brings stability. Stability protects — and creates — jobs.

A combined Netflix–Warner Bros. Discovery would create a stronger, more resilient American company able to invest consistently in U.S. production. That means more projects made here at home and more investments like Fort Monmouth, not fewer.

Hollywood, however, is more than an industry. It is a strategic national asset.

American movies and television reach more people globally than any government program or diplomatic initiative. They shape how the world views the United States and serve as a powerful counterweight to authoritarian propaganda.

China understands this — which is why it tightly controls media at home and heavily invests in state-backed platforms abroad.

And we have already seen how that censorship works.

Consider ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’ The film was a massive global success. Yet China refused to allow it to be shown in its theaters.

Why?

Because of a small patch on Tom Cruise’s leather flight jacket depicting the flag of Taiwan.

Not violence. Not offensive content. A jacket patch.

That single symbol was enough for Beijing to block the film entirely. The message was unmistakable: access to China’s market requires political compliance and self-censorship.

Ronald Reagan understood this fight long before streaming existed. He knew movies, television and storytelling were powerful tools in the battle of ideas — and that foreign or communist influence over American media posed a real threat. As Reagan warned, ‘Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.’ Protecting American cultural leadership became a cornerstone of his presidency.

That lesson matters now more than ever.

There are also serious concerns about foreign money entering the American media ecosystem — and the national-security risks that come with it.

Some competing proposals involving legacy studios would shrink the field from five major studios to four, concentrating more power in fewer hands and driving up costs for families who just want to watch a movie at home. That kind of consolidation reduces competition, limits choice and historically leads to layoffs — not innovation.

Even more troubling, some proposed takeovers are reportedly backed by $24 billion from foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

I am hardly a fan of excessive regulation. But we have laws on the books for a reason — to protect the American marketplace and the American people from foreign manipulation.

Let’s be clear: $24 billion from the Middle East is not philanthropy.

In today’s world, influence is power. When American content is weakened, something else fills the void—and increasingly, that content is shaped or approved by authoritarian governments.

Foreign governments do not invest billions in American media for fun. They do it to gain leverage, influence narratives, and shape what people see and hear. That is a direct national security concern.

In today’s world, influence is power. When American content is weakened, something else fills the void — and increasingly, that content is shaped or approved by authoritarian governments.

That is not just an economic issue. It is a national security issue.

To be clear, I have been openly critical of Netflix in the past, particularly when it comes to some of its woke and radical programming decisions. I have not hesitated to call those out publicly, and I won’t stop doing so.

I also do not own stock in Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, or any of the companies discussed here.

My position is not about defending a corporation — it is about defending American workers, American creativity and America’s strategic interests at a moment when cultural influence and national security are inseparable.

The Netflix–Warner Bros. Discovery merger does not eliminate competition. The streaming market remains crowded and fiercely competitive. This deal simply allows an American company to compete at scale against Big Tech and state-backed foreign players.

Ronald Reagan knew cultural influence was national power. That truth hasn’t changed.

In a global competition where China and other foreign powers are using culture as leverage, America cannot afford to weaken one of its most powerful tools.

This merger strengthens it.