CBS’ Mamdani Mania

On Friday, Jewish Insider published what it billed as an exposé on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, reporting that she had “liked” Instagram posts that “unambiguously celebrated” Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel. That evening, CBS News posted a video across its social media channels referring to and matching the report.

“CBS News verified that Duwaji ‘liked’ a post from The Slow Factory on October 7, 2023 showing images from the attack, and another from The People’s Forum a day after the attack showing protests in New York City,” an unidentified CBS News reporter said in the unbylined report.

The report focusing on the social media use of the mayor’s wife—who does not hold public office—more than two years ago, struck many as peculiar, something that might have appeared on The Free Press, Bari Weiss’ anti-woke and vehemently pro-Israel opinion site. In fact, the following day The Free Press reporter Olivia Reingold published her own video and accompanying article reflecting the outlet’s preoccupation with the New York mayor.

Some CBS staffers who spoke to Status on condition of anonymity, expressed growing concern that Weiss—who has been an outspoken supporter of Israel—was making editorial decisions more in line with the type of content published by The Free Press, blurring the ideological lines between the two and fundamentally altering CBS News’ DNA in the process. A CBS News spokesperson declined to comment for this story, including questions about who reported the package posted to social media.

The parallels between the coverage—and the continuing focus on Mamdani who has become a Republican bogeyman and frequent target of their attacks—illustrate the increasingly blurred lines between CBS News and Weiss’ independent media venture since Paramount owner David Ellison acquired The Free Press and installed Weiss atop the network’s editorial hierarchy.

The latest episode also marked the second time in recent weeks that Weiss has stirred controversy related to the mayor. Earlier this month, she drew criticism after reposting a clip of Iranian dissident journalist Masih Alinejad criticizing Mamdani during CBS coverage of the Iran conflict, punctuating the post with a fire emoji.

A person close to Mamdani argued that the overlap in coverage reflects what they see as a broader editorial posture emerging under Weiss’ leadership. “It feels pretty clear that Bari Weiss views her role, whether at CBS or The Free Press, as being a political adversary to the mayor,” the person said.

Meanwhile, Weiss has expressed an interest in ramping up CBS News’ coverage of Mamdani, with reporter Jared Ochacher posting dozens of videos on social media about the New York mayor over the last month, as Zeteo’s Justin Baragona reported.

“She doesn’t even have the dignity to pretend to be unbiased,” the Mamdani confidant continued. “The lack of journalistic integrity, and blatant hostility, could make Fox News blush.”

The criticism underscores the tension surrounding Weiss’ unusual position running both an outlet that traffics heavily in opinion and one of the country’s biggest broadcast newsrooms, where executives tend to remain famously neutral on political discourse.

Those in Mamdani’s camp aren’t the only ones questioning Weiss’ editorial decision-making at CBS. Former President Barack Obama’s deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes criticized the network’s coverage of Duwaji’s Instagram likes, writing on X, “There’s a war, high prices, job losses, AI unleashed, and on and on. But Bari Weiss’s CBS is on the case of the NY Mayor’s wife’s likes from years ago. WTF is going on.”

Since Weiss took the helm, the influence of The Free Press on CBS News has grown increasingly hard to ignore. The network has streamed Free Press programming on its digital platforms, added a tab on its website directing readers to the opinion outlet, and elevated contributors from Weiss’ orbit onto the network’s airwaves. It has even handed out complimentary Free Press subscriptions to Paramount employees as part of a cross-promotional push, Status has learned.

Last week, Semafor’s Max Tani reported that CBS staffers said Weiss had been “more engaged in directing coverage” of the Iran protests in recent weeks than anything else during her five-month tenure, personally reaching out to book guests on the subject.

One communications professional who works with the network regularly told Status that it’s hard to imagine CBS’s “largely boomer audience cares about the First Lady of New York’s Instagram likes,” adding, “I doubt they even know her name. They are probably more concerned about rising unemployment and gas prices.”

Mamdani has stated that his wife is a private citizen, but the focus on her allegedly radical views faintly echoes criticism of Michelle Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign after she told an audience in Milwaukee, “For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country.”

Whether increased critical coverage of Mamdani resonates with viewers remains an open question. But as Weiss continues to reshape CBS News, the question looming over the newsroom is how far she is willing to blur the line between The Free Press’ ideological mission and the ideal of journalistic objectivity associated with a legacy network.

• Fox News apologized for airing old footage of a dignified transfer ceremony multiple times on the right-wing network this weekend instead of Saturday’s event honoring six service members killed in Iran where Donald Trump wore a baseball cap at the ceremony. [Mediaite]
  • Host Griff Jenkins later offered an on-air apology for the “mistake” that notably still did not include the actual footage, telling viewers: “During our coverage of yesterday’s dignified transfer, we inadvertently aired video from an older dignified transfer instead of the ceremony that took place yesterday. We deeply regret the error and extend our respect and condolences to the service members’ families.”
  • In a separate statement, a Fox News spokesperson said it had “inadvertently aired file footage from a previous dignified transfer” at Dover Air Force Base. “The archival footage was mistakenly used during the video sourcing process. We regret the error and apologize.”
• A federal judge ruled that Kari Lake’s tenure as acting chief of the U.S. Agency for Global Media was illegal and voided her actions in that role, including sweeping layoffs including at the Voice of America. [Politico]
• Jake Tapper responded to Pete Hegseth’s complaints about Iran press coverage, saying at the end of his program Sunday, “It is the news media’s responsibility to cover this war, not to cheerlead for it.” [CNN]
• Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich accused the White House of engaging in the “gamification” of war, joining in criticism of the social media post using clips from popular movies. [NCR]
• CNN preempted “Have I Got News For You” for the second week in a row, instead only releasing the show on digital platforms, as the network continues its extensive Iran coverage. [Deadline]
• Fox News host Mark Levin dismissed the idea that MAGA is split over Trump’s Iran war, saying only “a couple of nut jobs who are not MAGA, who are like neofascists” oppose it. That, of course, includes Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and many more high-profile right-wing personalities. [Mediaite]
• Switching gears… WGA East president Tom Fontana voiced concerns about the Paramount-WBD merger before its awards, saying, “Jobs are at stake. Democracy is at stake. A couple of little things like that.” [Deadline]
  • The awards took place only in New York, with L.A. festivities canceled due to a strike by the guild’s own employees.
• Timothée Chalamet has been flooded with invitations from ballet and opera companies after dismissing those art forms in an interview. [Vulture]
• “Saturday Night Live” parodied Pete Hegseth and skewered Kristi Noem, with Ashley Padilla remarking “I didn’t get fired, I self-deported.” [YouTube]
  • Ryan Gosling couldn’t hold the audience’s attention in his monologue with Harry Styles in the studio. [YouTube]
• Rosanna Arquette said she “paid a price” for saying “no” to Harvey Weinstein and later speaking out about him, and called Quentin Tarantino’s use of the N-word in his films “racist and creepy.” [Sunday Times]
• Jean Davidson, executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, is leaving to join the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills after “a really hard year.” [NYT]

• “The Bride!” was left at the altar, opening far below expectations with an estimated $7 million, marking Warner Bros.’ first flop in a year. With a reported $80-100 million budget, the Maggie Gyllenhaal-directed film looks destined to be a major money loser.
• Pixar’s “Hoppers” received much better news, bouncing to $46 million, the animation studio’s best debut for an original since “Coco” in 2017, after a series of Covid-era setbacks.
  • Pixar’s last two originals, “Elio” (2025) and “Elemental” (2023), both opened below $30 million, although the latter legged out solid worldwide returns.
• “Scream 7” plummeted from its franchise-best start to $17 million, down 73% from its premiere—a steep drop even for the front-loaded horror genre.

[Data via Box Office Mojo]

The latest episode of Power Lines is out.

In this week’s episode: MAGA Media’s biggest stars are waging war with one another over Donald Trump’s Iran war, dividing his most loyal mouthpieces. We discuss what it means for the fracturing coalition that put Trump into office. And at CNN, Scott Jennings is facing blowback from the network’s own reporters for parroting the administration’s bogus war claim.

Plus, Trump’s stunning decision to attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is being met with alarm and dread inside the group, with some reporters fearing it will be used to “bash the press to our faces.”

Finally, Bari Weiss is hard at work tinkering with “CBS Mornings.” We take you behind the scenes and break down our reporting on the MAGA-friendly former ESPN host that Weiss expressed interest in, along with the former “GMA” host now being considered for the show.

You can watch on YouTube—or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoy the program, subscribe so you never miss an episode!