Bari Weiss’ CBS News Ratings Collapse, Tensions Mount Inside CNN, Hegseth Escalates War on Press
Power Lines with Oliver Darcy and Jon PassantinoShow Notes
On this week’s episode of Power Lines:
Exclusive ratings data obtained by Status shows the first quarter of the revamped CBS News under Bari Weiss shed viewers at an alarming rate, collapsing to historic lows. Oliver and Jon break down the numbers, explain why audiences are tuning out, and what it means as rivals ABC and NBC notch year-over-year gains.
Next, more exclusive reporting: CNN chief Mark Thompson faces tough questions from staff during a visit to the network’s London hub, with concerns mounting over Paramount’s incoming ownership under David Ellison—and what it could mean for CNN’s independence.
Then, despite a decisive court loss over his crackdown on the Pentagon press corps, Pete Hegseth is escalating his fight, imposing new restrictions on coverage of the Iran war.
Finally, Oliver and Jon respond to listener comments on MS NOW’s programming changes, CBS News’ ratings troubles, and Oliver’s pronunciation of one particular word.
Read these stories and more in Status: https://www.status.news/
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0:00 Intro
1:34 CBS News Ratings Collapse (Exclusive)
19:00 CNN CEO Grilled by Talent and Staff
31:59 Hegseth Vs. the Press
39:03 Open Lines: Oliver and Jon Answer Listener Questions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from Power Lines with Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino
On today’s episode:
In a special episode of Power Lines, we publish exclusive audio from a stunning all-hands meeting in which Bari Weiss' handpicked foreign editor, Shayndi Raice, unleashed a lengthy tirade against her own CBS News journalists.
After completing his acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Ellison is facing questions about his relationship with Donald Trump and his plans for CNN. Jon shares what happened when he pressed Ellison directly on the Paramount lot, and Oliver reports on Anderson Cooper’s pointed questions for his new boss at an internal company town hall.
The future of CNN is coming into focus…at least for now. David Ellison has opened talks with Mark Thompson about extending his tenure as CNN’s chief. Oliver and Jon break down what the move signals to employees inside the network, what it could mean for CNN’s direction under Ellison, and where it leaves Bari Weiss, both now and down the road.
The anonymous source behind one of the stories that the White House used to justify its press ban was none other than JD Vance himself. We detail our exclusive reporting and get into the latest developments on Donald Trump’s war against the media.