POLITICS NEWS
Showing 12 articles
AP
CBS News ‘60 Minutes’ in Turmoil: Firing of Staff Raises Questions","description":"The iconic investigative program faces upheaval with new leadership, firing of correspondents and accusations of political bias.","summary":"Since its 1968 debut, “60 Minutes” has been a flagship of investigative journalism. Now, CBS News executive Bari Weiss’s sweeping changes—including replacing long‑time producers, firing key correspondents such as Scott Pelley, and appointing a new chief with no broadcast experience—have sparked intense criticism and raised doubts about the show’s future.","image":"https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/cd33d6d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3600x2400+0+0/resize/599x399!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F6c%2Fe7%2Fb553edb5b6448206b538498b3370%2F8c9c8f390853414fbe6839e426ea0b66","text":"<p>On September 24, 1968, Harry Reasoner introduced the iconic broadcast “60 Minutes” as a new “magazine for television.” Fifty‑seven years later, CBS News chief Bari Weiss is running a very different kind of new approach to the same program.</p><p>Weiss’s changes, which included firing the top producer, two long‑time correspondents, and installing a new chief who has no TV broadcast experience, have pushed the venerable show into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.</p><p>One of the show’s most recognizable faces, Scott Pelley, was dismissed after a tense confrontation with executives. In an email posted by New York Times media reporter Ben Mullin, Pelley accused Weiss of lying and of forcing his team to insert unverified claims into politically sensitive stories.</p><p>Industry observers note that the show has already lost four correspondents this week: Pelley, Anderson Cooper, Sharyn Alfonsi, and Cecilia Vega. The departures have sparked fierce debate about whether “60 Minutes” is being deliberately reshaped to favor certain political narratives or simply evolving to stay relevant in the 21st century.</p><p>Former executive producer Jeff Fager, author of “Fifty Years of 60 Minutes,” called the loss of Pelley “hobbles the program.” He warned that without his star correspondent, the show's core investigative work could suffer.</p><p>Historically, the program has prided itself on its fearless journalism and independence. But the turmoil has turned “60 Minutes” into a headline in its own right, with reporters and commentators questioning whether the changes threaten to erode its legacy.</p><p>Despite the turmoil, Weiss and newly appointed executive producer Nick Bilton have promised continuity. They assure viewers that the program will continue to deliver “unforgettable stories” and that new talent will join the remaining team.</p><p>The result remains uncertain. While some argue the changes will ultimately strengthen the show, others fear that the new direction could turn “60 Minutes” into an instrument of political influence, potentially jeopardizing its long‑standing reputation for probing journalism.</p>
AP
Saban Testifies in Support of Bill to Regulate College Athlete Payments","description":"Former Alabama coach Nick Saban joins bipartisan effort to overhaul student‑athlete compensation and transfers.","summary":"During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Nick Saban and other college sports figures backed a bill that caps athlete payments, limits free transfers, and restricts mid‑season coach departures. The proposal, introduced by Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell, seeks to bring stability to college athletics amid criticism from major conferences.","image":"","text":"<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban and other college sports figures testified Wednesday in support of a bipartisan bill aimed at overhauling a system where players can increasingly earn millions of dollars while moving freely between schools.</p><p>The leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee held the hearing as they push legislation unveiled last week that supporters hope can break the congressional gridlock over how to regulate college athletics.</p><p>The bill, introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, R‑Texas, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D‑Wash., would regulate payments to athletes, limit them to one “free” transfer during their careers and create a “Lane Kiffin Rule” restricting coaches from leaving programs during the season. Cruz touted the proposal as “the last, best hope we have to save college sports.”</p><p>“If you had the biggest, baddest Ferrari that you could ever have and it was going 150 miles an hour toward the Grand Canyon, somebody needs to tap the brakes. And I think that’s what we all need to do here,” Saban said in his opening remarks.</p><p>Notably absent from the witness list, which included Notre Dame’s athletic director and the commissioner of the PAC‑12 conference, was any representative from the Southeast Conference, where Saban won seven national championships between Alabama and Louisiana State University.</p><p>The SEC and the Big Ten, the two most powerful conferences in college sports, oppose the bill, arguing it “leaves critical issues unresolved.”</p><p>Cantwell said the legislation is intended to restore competition to college athletics by ensuring success is determined by how universities “build a team, and not because they have a billionaire in their back pocket.”</p><p>She also addressed the conferences’ opposition directly, suggesting they fear “that somebody’s going to come in and rearrange the deck chairs of those conferences, steal the eyeball schools, and then basically leave everybody with everything else.”</p>
AP
CBS News Fires Veteran 60 Minutes Correspondent Scott Pelley Over Strained Relations","description":"After accusing editor‑in‑chief Bari Weiss of undermining the show and alleging the new producer lacked qualifications, longtime 60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley was dismissed, deepening turmoil at the flagship news program.","summary":"Scott Pelley, the iconic 60 Minutes correspondent, was fired by CBS News following a heated staff meeting where he accused the network’s leadership of threatening the program’s integrity. The move, coming days after a leadership overhaul, highlights the conflict between Pelley, new executive producer Nick Bilton, and editor‑in‑chief Bari Weiss.","image":"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/cd33d6d\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3600x2400+0+0\/resize\/599x399!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F6c%2Fe7%2Fb553edb5b6448206b538498b3370%2F8c9c8f390853414fbe6839e426ea0b66","text":"<p>CBS News fired longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley on Tuesday, a day after he reportedly said Editor‑in‑Chief Bari Weiss was “murdering the show” and accused its new producer of having “slender qualifications” for the job.</p><p>The move deepened the turmoil at the nation’s most influential TV news program days after a leadership overhaul.</p><p>Pelley, 68, criticized management Monday during a fiery staff meeting with Nick Bilton, the program’s new executive producer installed by Weiss last week, according to a detailed report on the Status website.</p><p>In a termination notice obtained Tuesday night by The Associated Press, Bilton, a technology journalist and filmmaker with no traditional broadcast news experience, accused Pelley of carrying out an “ambush” against him.</p><p>“Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt,” the letter states.</p><p>Pelley said in his statement that “60 Minutes” has lost its DNA under new management. He accused them of asking him to “inject falsehoods and bias” into his work, without sharing specific details.</p><p>Pelley’s statement also claimed his colleagues “stood for fairness against the forces of political bias.” He further accused CEO David Ellison of casting aside the show’s reputation “apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration.”</p><p>In the dismissal letter Tuesday, Bilton said Pelley’s “performative display of hostility” demonstrated that he has “no interest in contributing to the future success of the show.”</p><p>Since Weiss took over the network’s news operation last October, it has traveled a bumpy road. Pelley’s termination came just five days after Weiss, who has become a polarizing figure in the media world, told staff that it was time for a “new approach” at the top‑rated newsmagazine.</p><p>In the memo, Weiss and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski said their goal for “60 Minutes” was “building a show that thrives in the 21st century.” That could include extending the show beyond a 60‑minute broadcast.</p><p>“60 Minutes” first aired in 1968 and is the longest‑running prime‑time show in TV history. Its investigative journalism and probing interviews have given it the reputation of uncompromising journalism—precisely the trait that Pelley said was under assault.</p><p>Pelley started working for CBS in 1989. He was its chief White House Correspondent from 1997 to 1999, during Bill Clinton’s presidency, and anchored “CBS Evening News” from 2011 to 2017. He has won 51 Emmy Awards, according to his CBS bio.</p>
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