Backlash, capitulation, corruption, and a “blue wave”: The stories that will define 2026
From more corporate capitulation to a potential mid-term “blue wave,” here’s what I predict will be the biggest stories of 2026
Happy New Year, everyone. I hope you had a restful holiday break and some time to disconnect before diving into what’s already shaping up to be another incredibly challenging, high-stakes year for our country. This first week of 2026 has already delivered no shortage of reminders about the consequences of an unchecked, corrupt, and belligerent regime in Washington, including the senseless loss of a young woman’s life in Minneapolis at the hands of ICE, and the shooting of two other individuals in Portland by Border Control agents just yesterday.
As we all prepare ourselves for more political violence, preventable tragedies and locally felt human and economic impacts of the disastrous cuts to health care by this administration, here are a few major storylines that our reporters across the COURIER network will be watching, covering, and contextualizing for our audiences - all of which will undoubtedly have enormous impacts on our media, politics, and the fate of the midterm elections this fall.
Cycles of illegal overreach and backlash
The horrific tragedy we saw in Minnesota this week - in which an ICE officer executed an American citizen in broad daylight - is the direct result of Donald Trump’s authoritarian and illegal consolidation of power at the federal agency level. These instances of overreach, particularly of deploying troops and masked federal agents against American citizens on American soil, are becoming far too common, and will most certainly ramp up further as the administration doubles down on unconstitutional and illegal activities. If there can be any silver lining to their increasingly abhorrent, lethal and un-American agenda, I expect far more visible and organized backlash, mobilizations, and protests by Americans this year as a result. And it’s on all of us to continue to find new ways to ensure the false narratives being shamelessly peddled by the administration and right-wing media with each new story don’t stick, that people are armed with the facts, and to help harness their increased opposition into a tipping point at the polls and beyond.
More oligarchs getting sweetheart deals
If 2025 was the year billionaires started flexing their influence more openly, 2026 will be the year they cash in. From football team ownership to data centers, media buyouts, and AI investments with direct regulatory implications, oligarchs are cozying up to Trump in order to secure preferential treatment and public subsidies. Look no further than the oil and gas industry, which has been in frenzied meetings with the President and his team about sucking Venezuela’s oil fields dry. And just an hour ago, I received this news alert about another OpenAI Exec joining the ranks of Trump’s top donors, surely for purely non-financial reasons…
The silver lining of this dynamic will be that with the work of COURIER and our allies in the pro-democracy media and content space, more Americans than ever will realize our political system is now designed exclusively to reward elite wealth consolidation, not the public good. Watch for growing public backlash- particularly as economic anxiety continues to rise and voters demand accountability from politicians of both parties who enable these deals.
Continued media & corporate capitulation
Last year, many of us watched in shock as media outlet after media outlet, corporation after corporation, sold out their values to the Trump administration out of fear or desire to curry favor. We’re only a few days into the new year, and already we’ve seen how CBS’s primetime editorial content has shifted to echo pro-Trump talking points. (ICYMI: New CBS Evening News anchor literally says “Marco Rubio, we salute you.”) Expect this dynamic to deepen in 2026, as Paramount continues to build support among the administration in its hostile takeover bid of WBD, and other companies eyeing high-profile mergers learn this new playbook.
A Midterm “blue wave” and new Democratic leaders emerging
Despite (or maybe because of) all this chaos, I’m optimistic about the potential for Democrats to surprise people with unprecedented wins across the board this November- including in states and districts that conventional wisdom-obsessed pollsters and pundits would deem impossible to flip. Beyond the fast-plummeting favorability of Trump and his agenda and obvious referendum effect it will have at the polls, we are also seeing more and more new leaders emerging outside of Washington who understand the urgency of this moment; not just as a fight to preserve democracy, but to reimagine the future of the Democratic Party, government as a whole, and actually fight for and deliver on the needs of working people.
These new faces come in every shape and style - some are women, young people, and organizers who cut their teeth on the ground rather than in Washington. Others are gruff speaking male candidates, union leaders and firefighters seemingly plucked out straight of the “manosphere.” These diverse emerging leaders will continue to show that authentic communication and trust can still move voters, even in the most gerrymandered or media-starved districts. If Democrats can harness that energy and focus their storytelling on solutions and stakes, there’s a real chance not only for epic levels of momentum heading into November, but to carry towards 2028. My major caveat here is that Trump and Republicans are well aware of this trend as well, and so we should also expect their f*ckery with elections, voting, and of course the expected overturning of the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court to escalate concerns about free and fair elections.
Growth and impact of independent and progressive media and creators
Relatedly, that type of midterm “blue wave” can only happen if the infrastructure is in place to amplify messengers, stories and issues that voters care about. One reason for optimism: last year we saw rapid growth of a more dynamic, more distributed progressive media ecosystem. Independent creators, newsletters, podcasts, and grassroots media outlets are filling the void left by corporate cutbacks and legacy media’s decline.
At COURIER, we’ve seen firsthand how community-rooted storytelling can break through the noise and change perceptions of what’s possible, having a historic year for audience growth in 2025, with big plans to be announced soon. (👀).
In 2026, expect even more growth, innovation, and collaboration across these left-of-center brands, creators, and networks as progressive communicators experiment with new formats, tools, and stories that meet audiences where they already are: online, in their feeds, and in their communities. The right has had decades to build this infrastructure. The left is finally catching up.
The TL;DR is that while those of us who care about democracy and oppose corruption face many headwinds, the fight for credible, values-driven information is where the battle for 2026 begins — and where we have the most momentum to build on. I hope you’ll join us in that fight.
- Tara
What I’m reading this week
Nonprofit funding flooded right-wing media in 2024 (Chaotic Era, 1/6)
“New IRS filings made available in December show that during the 2024 calendar year, the nonprofit affiliates of 18 conservative media organizations received $260.2 million in contributions from major donors and foundations.”
Manospheres of Influence: Why young men are souring on Trump (Puck, 1/6)
“The disaffected young men who helped elect Trump are fed up with high prices, worried about A.I., and frustrated by the president’s neocon turn. And, according to exclusive new polling data, they’re souring on Trump just as they turned on Joe Biden.”
MAGA Influencers Cheered Trump’s Venezuela War. Their Audience Said ‘WTF?!’ (The Bulwark, 1/5)
“Since Maduro’s capture, right-wing media figures who have staked their careers on Trump have found themselves caught between the president and their audiences, who were apparently gullible enough to think the president’s talk about not bogging down the United States in foreign wars was real.”
What a viral YouTube video says about the future of journalism (New Yorker, 1/6)
“A streamer’s investigation of fraud in Minnesota garnered millions of views. His content was questionable, but his methods will likely inspire scores of imitators.”
There Will Be More Renee Goods (The Dispatch, 1/9)
“This is what comes of an administration that circles the wagons rather than taking accountability every time a violent incident occurs. This happened before with Marimar Martinez. It happened again Wednesday. And it’s going to keep happening. Renee Good didn’t have to die. But unless there is a culture shift away from reckless violence and toward accountability and transparency, she will not be the last person federal immigration agents kill. “
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Announces It Will Cease Operations (NYT, 1/7)
“The family-owned company that operates the newspaper cited mounting losses and labor constraints. A final edition is expected on Sunday, May 3.”