Monday, December 22 | By Cate Martel |
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It's Monday. Sunday was the shortest day of the year, so it's all uphill from here! 😉 |
Backlash over yanked '60 Minutes' segment Trump revisits taking over Greenland Epstein file rollout raises more questions Lawmakers blame Bondi Nicki Minaj's surprise Turning Point USA visit
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'60 Minutes' is back in the spotlight: |
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File |
CBS News abruptly yanked a "60 Minutes" segment on Sunday that revealed conditions inside a notorious Salvadoran prison where the Trump administration has sent Venezuelan migrants. Why?: The New York Times's Michael M. Grynbaum reports that CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss "requested numerous changes to the segment," which led to it being pulled. This sparked fierce backlash. The segment's correspondent, Sharyn Alfonsi, bashed the decision as "political." From Alfonsi, per the Times: "Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices. It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now, after every rigorous internal check has been met, is not an editorial decision, it is a political one." Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) pushed CBS to explain its decision. Weiss's reasoning: NPR reports that Weiss doesn't want the segment to air without first getting an on-the-record statement from the Trump administration. NEW: Weiss addressed the situation on a morning call today. She said the reporting "didn't advance the ball," arguing other news outlets had reported the conditions at the prison, per CNN's Brian Stelter. Weiss reportedly said on the CBS call: "The only newsroom I'm interested in running is one in which we are able to have contentious disagreements about the thorniest editorial matters with respect, and, crucially, where we assume the best intent of our colleagues. Anything else is absolutely unacceptable." More from the transcript of the call Stelter also reports that "people are threatening to quit over this." 💬 Follow today's live blog |
➤ THE FIGHT FOR WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY: |
Paramount has revised its hostile takeover offer to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. The big change: "billionaire Larry Ellison [has agreed to] to personally guarantee $40.4 billion of equity financing for the deal and publish records related to the family trust that backstops it." (WSJ) |
Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela are rising. President Trump is ramping up his pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. But The Hill's Laura Kelly and Filip Timotija report that Trump's end game is muddled. What we know: Trump has not ruled out war with Venezuela. There has also been speculation the Trump administration wants a regime change. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair that Trump "wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle. And people way smarter than me on that say that [Maduro] will." Plus: The administration also moved to designate the Venezuelan government as a foreign terrorist organization and placed new sanctions on Maduro's relatives. "This comes on top of a months-long campaign of controversial and fatal military strikes against speedboats in the Caribbean allegedly trafficking drugs." Read Kelly and Timotija's reporting on the escalating tension between the U.S. and Venezuela Related read in The Atlantic: 'Trump Discovers Maduro's Achilles' Heel: After months of strikes, tankers are a new, and smarter, target.' |
Let's unpack the Epstein file situation: |
The Department of Justice (DOJ) released just a portion of the highly anticipated Jeffrey Epstein files on Friday, the deadline mandated by federal law. But the batch of files, their heavy redactions and the messy rollout have only sparked more questions and criticism. For example: At least 16 Epstein files, one of which included a photo of President Trump, were removed from the DOJ's website over the weekend. (The Trump photo was later reposted.) The DOJ posted on social media that "photos and other materials will continue being reviewed and redacted consistent with the law in an abundance of caution as we receive additional information." Oh, and: The DOJ also called on the public to contact the DOJ if they notice any "information that should not have been posted." 😅 Lawmakers in both parties are unhappy with the level of redactions. Democrats and other critics argue the heavy redactions are not in compliance with the law. The DOJ says it will release more files in the coming weeks, though the bipartisan law mandated that all files be released by last Friday. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) is pushing for the Senate to sue the Justice Department over the partial disclosure of files. And some lawmakers have threatened to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt. GOP Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) says he thinks the Trump administration made a "big mistake" by only partially releasing the Epstein files. "This will just plague them for months and months more," Paul told ABC News's "This Week." The gist of the files released: There were no new major revelations. Photos show Epstein with former President Clinton; actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker; musicians Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross; and news anchor Walter Cronkite. |
All he wants for Christmas is … Greenland?: |
President Trump has appointed Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland, the Danish territory he has long wanted to turn into a U.S. territory. ^ Yes, Jeff Landry, the sitting governor of Louisiana. Landry understands the assignment: Landry thanked Trump in a social media post, pledging "to make Greenland a part of the U.S." He also said this new role won't affect his role as governor. Greenland and Denmark are furious: The leaders of Greenland and Denmark issued a joint statement emphasizing that Greenland cannot be annexed. "You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument about international security," they wrote. As a reminder — why does Trump want Greenland?: He argues the territory is essential to U.S. national security. |
President Trump has denied disaster aid to Colorado in the wake of wildfires and flooding, Gov. Jared Polis (D) announced Sunday. Polis accused the president of playing "political games" and urged him to reconsider. The Hill's Rachel Frazin reports that Trump's denial comes "as his administration is expected to try to downsize the Federal Emergency Management Agency and spend less federal money on disaster response." Read more here. |
The administration has suspended leases for several major offshore wind projects on the East Coast. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum cited "national security concerns" for the pause. |
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The House and Senate are out. President Trump is in Palm Beach, Fla. (All times EST) |
3:30 p.m. Trump receives his intelligence briefing 4:30 p.m. Trump makes an announcement with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phalen. 💻 Livestream |
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🍞 Celebrate: Today is National Date Nut Bread Day. 💋 The woman from the infamous Coldplay kiss cam: Kristin Cabot, the woman involved in the infamous debacle, opened up to The New York Times about the fallout. "She was doxxed, and for weeks received 500 or 600 calls a day. Paparazzi camped across the street from her house and cars slowly cruised her block, 'like a parade,' she recalled. She received death threats: 'Not 900. That showed up in People magazine. I got 50 or 60,' she told me." Read: 'The Ritual Shaming of the Woman at the Coldplay Concert' ☕ The trendy coffee scene in Japan: "Italy brought us cappuccinos. Australia introduced the flat white. Cuba created the cafecito, and the Middle East, the qahwa," writes The Washington Post's Matt Viser. "Japan is bringing us coffee omakase." Read: 'Coffee omakase is Japan's love letter to caffeine' |
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