“60 Minutes” abruptly pulled a section Sunday on the Trump administration deporting a whole lot of Venezuelan migrants to a megaprison in El Salvador, a surprising transfer that comes on the heels of President Donald Trump complaining that the CBS newsmagazine has “handled him far worse” underneath new administration.
For days, CBS had been selling Sunday’s section, “Inside CECOT,” which promised to disclose “brutal and torturous situations” inside El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Heart. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi had spoken to now launched deportees, in accordance with a Friday press launch. However the section was pulled Sunday night, round two hours earlier than it was to set to air.
“The 60 Minutes report on ‘Inside CECOT’ will air in a future broadcast,” CBS informed TheWrap in a press release. “We decided it wanted extra reporting.”
Puck’s Dylan Byers reported that the section “was totally prepared and had been meticulously fact-checked and lawyered,” however editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who watched it Friday, “determined to carry it.”
The choice to tug such a closely promoted and presumably hard-hitting section on the Trump administration is bound to return underneath intense scrutiny given the president’s latest feedback about “60 Minutes” and his relationship with David Ellison, who now runs CBS Information-parent Paramount.
Trump sued CBS final 12 months over how “60 Minutes” edited an interview together with his then-2024 rival, Kamala Harris. The community initially dismissed Trump’s go well with as “with out advantage” and vowed to “vigorously defend” itself. However CBS-parent Paramount settled with Trump for $16 million in July as the corporate was looking for FCC approval to merge with Ellison’s Skydance.
Because the merger, Ellison appointed Weiss, the co-founder of the Free Press, to function editor-in-chief. Trump has praised Weiss previously, in addition to Ellison, who’s now vying to takeover Warner Bros. Discovery, the dad or mum firm of CNN. Ellison’s father, billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, is a Trump supporter.
Trump returned to “60 Minutes” final month for his first interview for the reason that settlement. “I see good issues occurring within the information. I actually do. And I believe top-of-the-line issues to occur is that this present and new possession, CBS and new possession,” Trump mentioned. “I believe it’s the best factor that’s occurred in a very long time to a free and open and good press.”
However earlier this month, after “60 Minutes” aired an interview together with his former ally turned critic Marjorie Taylor Greene, Trump referenced the settlement in taking goal at possession.
“My actual drawback with the present, nonetheless, wasn’t the low IQ traitor, it was that the brand new possession of 60 Minutes, Paramount, would permit a present like this to air,” Trump wrote. “THEY ARE NO BETTER THAN THE OLD OWNERSHIP, who simply paid me thousands and thousands of {Dollars} for FAKE REPORTING about your favourite President, ME!”
And final week, Trump unloaded once more, “For these those who suppose I’m shut with the brand new homeowners of CBS, please perceive that ‘60 Minutes’ has handled me far worse for the reason that so-called ‘takeover,’ than they’ve ever handled me earlier than. If they’re associates, I’d hate to see my enemies.”
Watch a teaser for the “60 Minutes” section beneath:
