Why is Trump suing CBS? What to know about complaint dating back to Kamala Harris interview
Wendy McMahon told staff in a memo she was leaving because she had disagreed with the company, according to Reuters.
CBS News is facing a $20 billion lawsuit from Trump over how it edited his former opponent Kamala Harris' answer to a question on the U.S.-Israeli relationship in an October 2025 interview on "60 Minutes."
Trump has long railed against the media, and the lawsuit against CBS is playing out amid several pushes from the administration that are alarming press freedom advocates. Here is what to know about the lawsuit.
Can I still tune in to PBS and NPR? What to know after Trump's order to cut funding
Trump first filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the network in October over allegations that it deceptively edited a '60 Minutes' interview with former Vice President Harris, his Democratic Party opponent in the presidential election.
Trump raised the claim for damages to $20 billion in February, according to Reuters.
CBS has repeatedly denied the accusations, and legal experts have told the New York Times the lawsuit is 'baseless.'
The lawsuit entered mediation last month, signaling that CBS's parent company Paramount Global could choose to settle, raising concerns over how that may embolden the administration's increasingly aggressive stance toward major media organizations, the New York Times reported.
McMahon's exit follows the departure of longtime "60 Minutes" executive producer Bill Owens in April.
Owens, who announced he would leave the venerated show at the end of the season, cited concerns about editorial independence, according to a memo seen by Reuters.
Owens said it had 'become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it,' according to a note to staffers, CBS reported.
Yes. It is standard practice among news outlets to edit to fit time or space constraints, experts previously told USA TODAY.
During a teaser clip for the interview on Oct. 6 on 'Face the Nation' when Bill Whitaker asks Harris about the U.S.-Israeli relationship, viewers see a different video response from the vice president than on the subsequent '60 Minutes' broadcast on Oct. 7.
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Trump suing CBS? What to know after Wendy McMahon resignation
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Two children among injured in Russia's overnight attack on Kharkiv region, Ukraine says
(Reuters) -Two children were among several people injured in Russia's largest air attack on the Ukrainian town of Lozova since the war began, the head of the local administration said on Tuesday. "Critical infrastructure, apartment buildings and private homes have been damaged," Serhiy Zelenskiy, the head of the city's council, said on the Telegram messaging app. "Lozova has endured the largest attack since the beginning of the war," he said, adding several people including two children were wounded in the town in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. The scale of the attack on the town, which had a pre-war population of about 55,000, was not immediately clear. Reuters could not independently verify Zelenskiy's report. There was no immediate comment from Russia. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Kharkiv region, which lies near the border with Russia, has been the target of regular Russian drone and missile attacks since the start of the war. Parts of Lozova, a town in the southern parts of the Kharkiv region, were left without power and water supply, Zelenskiy said. "We will persevere!" he added.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
South Korea pledges to help companies cope with higher US tariffs
By Jihoon Lee SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea will prepare measures to help companies cope with higher U.S. tariffs and expand into new markets, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday, as it kicked off a task force to prepare the new administration's economic policy plans. On the domestic front, the government will come up with measures to boost short-term demand, as well as financial support for mid- to long-term technology development to enhance market competitiveness, it said in a statement. South Korea reached a trade deal with the U.S. last week, just days before President Donald Trump's threatened 25% tariff rate was due to come in on its exports to the United States. The trade deal set tariffs on exports from the Asian country at 15%, still higher than a baseline 10% rate and the near zero tariffs for exports under a Korea-U.S. free trade agreement. Still, topics left unresolved by the deal provide scope for more disputes as the two countries prepare for a summit between Trump and new South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the coming weeks. Trump may use the summit to try to squeeze more concessions on areas such as defence costs and corporate investments, left out of the deal, while non-tariff barriers and currency could prove thorny issues, experts said. South Korea's Finance Ministry, however, sought to give a positive spin on the agreement. The deal reduced uncertainty over the trade environment, while a $350 billion investment package included in the deal will provide new business opportunities for companies, deepen economic cooperation between the two countries, and contribute to a more stable supply chain, the ministry said. The administration of President Lee also plans to prepare policy measures to foster new industries, such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and "K-contents" and include them in economic growth strategies and budget plans due to be announced later this month. K-contents refers to a range of cultural and entertainment goods produced by the country ranging from K-pop to Korean dramas that have boomed globally. The ministry vowed to bring regulatory improvements to vitalise business activity, as it kicked off a meeting with the country's major business groups. Asia's fourth-largest economy grew in the second quarter at the fastest pace in more than a year on rebounding consumer spending and a surge in technology exports, but still faces headwinds from slowing global trade amid the sweeping tariffs. The International Monetary Fund last week raised its outlook for most advanced and emerging economies this year based on developments around U.S. tariff negotiations, but South Korea was among the exceptions, with its 2025 growth forecast revised down to 0.8% from 1.0%.
New York Times
14 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump Has Soured on Putin. Putin Couldn't Care Less.
President Trump has not scared the Russian elite. Last week, he declared himself 'disappointed' with Vladimir Putin and imposed a shorter deadline — expiring this Friday — for an end to the war in Ukraine, threatening severe economic punishment if it was missed. In Moscow, no one took it seriously. After weathering more than three years of sanctions, the Kremlin believes it can handle anything thrown at it — that's if Mr. Trump even follows through, which many in Moscow doubt. But there's a deeper reason for the dismissive response. Mr. Putin has, according to Kremlin insiders I talked to, concluded that negotiating with the United States makes no sense and that compromise is pointless. Hostility, not friendship, is the policy. The imminent visit to Moscow of America's envoy for peace missions, Steve Witkoff, won't change that. Mr. Trump may have soured on Mr. Putin, but Russia's president couldn't care less. Six months ago, things were very different. When Mr. Trump returned to the presidency, many in Moscow hoped that a thaw in U.S.-Russia relations might be possible. Along with friendly public remarks from both presidents and negotiations in Saudi Arabia, there were other encouraging signs of détente. Russian propagandists refrained from criticizing the new American administration or Mr. Trump personally, apparently under orders from the Kremlin. (President Emmanuel Macron of France became the main target of attacks instead.) Soon, American businessmen began showing up in Moscow, calling themselves sponsors of Mr. Trump's campaign. They claimed that sanctions would be lifted and even that the president still dreamed of building a Trump Tower in Moscow. The Russian officials and entrepreneurs I spoke to were wary, but they wanted to believe that peace was possible and that Mr. Trump might persuade Mr. Putin to end the war. It seemed as if the dream of renewed cooperation with America might come true. It quickly became clear that this was wishful thinking. Everyone now realizes that Mr. Putin has no desire to end the war, which remains his main tool for controlling society. Worse, he has lost faith in the very idea of reaching agreements with the United States. According to the people I talked to, his view is that any American administration, by definition, is temporary — and so any deal with it is meaningless. Mr. Trump is in charge today, but in three years he might not be. Personal rapport means nothing. To Mr. Putin, it is no longer possible to build a working relationship with America. Kremlin propagandists sense the honeymoon is coming to an end. They're still avoiding direct attacks on Mr. Trump himself, but they're going after those around him. Senator Lindsey Graham, in particular, has been singled out as a 'Russophobic' extremist, especially after he suggested that Mr. Putin should 'call the Ayatollah' to ask what would happen on Day 51 after Mr. Trump's first ultimatum. On a recent episode of the flagship political talk show on the state-owned Russia-1, the host shouted into the camera: 'What are you croaking about? You'll be destroyed along with your America, and no one will even remember your name.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
