White House Melts Down Over Photo, Bari Weiss Eyes ‘60 Minutes’ Overhaul, MS NOW-NBC Tensions Spike

On this week’s episode of Power Lines… New reporting from Status reveals the White House quietly pressured AFP to remove an unflattering image of press secretary Karoline Leavitt from its wire and AFP complied. Oliver and Jon break down how it happened, the questionable explanation behind it, and why the attempt to control the image may have backfired. Then, a brewing power struggle inside CBS News. Bari Weiss is eyeing sweeping changes to 60 Minutes. Oliver reports the network’s top editor pushed for a mid-season shakeup, was stopped, and is now preparing for a much larger overhaul after May, with executive producer Tanya Simon potentially on the chopping block. Plus, a surprise move at NBC News. Peter Alexander is out, heading to a new role at MS NOW. But behind the scenes, it’s part of a much messier split between NBC and Versant and talent is increasingly caught in the middle. And to close it out, Oliver and Jon answer listener questions in the latest edition of Open Lines. Thanks to our sponsor, beehiiv, the platform that 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 1:45 White House Had AFP Pull Karoline Leavitt Photo 14:24 Bari Weiss Plans Major 60 Minutes Shakeup 27:20 Peter Alexander Out at NBC, Talent Caught in Power Struggle 35:25 Open Lines: Your Questions Answered Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices