CBS News’s Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett joined his colleagues in offering predictions for 2026 over the weekend and warned of a brewing battle within MAGA over the regulation and spread of artificial intelligence in the U.S. – noting that President Donald Trump has fully embraced AI while several major red states are starting to try and restrict it.
Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan asked her panel of veteran CBS News reporters for their “predictions for 2026.”
Brennan began with CBS national correspondent Robert Costa, who offered his take on the rising leaders in the Democratic Party.
“My motto as a reporter is assume nothing, and we’re very early in the 2028 presidential cycle and discussion. Governor Gavin Newsom of California, Governor Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Governor Pritzker of Illinois—the list goes on,” Costa said, adding:
But my prediction is in 2026, we’re going to see some names we’re not discussing at all start to emerge as possible contenders for the Democrats in 2028. Some celebrities might come into the mix, and one name I would venture, based on some recent reporting: Stephen A. Smith. The sports personality is talking to people in the Democratic Party about whether he has a future. Whether he runs or not, TBD, but something to watch—celebrity politics in the age of Trump on both sides.
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