Overview

• On Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, John Oliver criticized Weiss’s opinion-journalism background and said her appointment to lead CBS News felt “at best, irresponsible, and at worst, deeply misleading.”
• Oliver noted reports that David Ellison is preparing a bid for CNN and HBO under a potential Warner Bros. Discovery deal and said that prospect was not ideal for his show.
• Semafor reports Weiss began a listening tour that left some top producers cautiously optimistic after she moved to bolster political bookings and secured Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice for a planned segment.
• Two other planned guests, former secretaries Mike Pompeo and Antony Blinken, dropped out of the roundtable, and two unions advised employees not to respond to Weiss’s email seeking details about their jobs.
• Paramount’s purchase of The Free Press was reported at about $150 million, and Weiss now leads CBS News while continuing to run the outlet as it starts appearing alongside CBS programming.