Bari Weiss’ CBS News Ratings Collapse, Tensions Mount Inside CNN, Hegseth Escalates War on Press

On this week’s episode of Power Lines: Exclusive ratings data obtained by Status shows the first quarter of the revamped CBS News under Bari Weiss shed viewers at an alarming rate, collapsing to historic lows. Oliver and Jon break down the numbers, explain why audiences are tuning out, and what it means as rivals ABC and NBC notch year-over-year gains. Next, more exclusive reporting: CNN chief Mark Thompson faces tough questions from staff during a visit to the network’s London hub, with concerns mounting over Paramount’s incoming ownership under David Ellison—and what it could mean for CNN’s independence. Then, despite a decisive court loss over his crackdown on the Pentagon press corps, Pete Hegseth is escalating his fight, imposing new restrictions on coverage of the Iran war. Finally, Oliver and Jon respond to listener comments on MS NOW’s programming changes, CBS News’ ratings troubles, and Oliver’s pronunciation of one particular word. Read these stories and more in Status: https://www.status.news/ Thanks to our sponsor, beehiiv, who powers the Status newsletter! If you have a newsletter with over 100k subscribers, schedule your free growth consultation today. Or, use code STATUS30 for 30% off: https://www.beehiiv.com/status 0:00 Intro 1:34 CBS News Ratings Collapse (Exclusive) 19:00 CNN CEO Grilled by Talent and Staff 31:59 Hegseth Vs. the Press 39:03 Open Lines: Oliver and Jon Answer Listener Questions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices