logo
The Paramount comics, Colbert and Stewart, are sharp critics of the '60 Minutes' deal

The Paramount comics, Colbert and Stewart, are sharp critics of the '60 Minutes' deal

NEW YORK (AP) — This isn't a joke. They've made that clear.
CBS 'Late Show' host Stephen Colbert condemned parent company Paramount Global's settlement of President Donald Trump's lawsuit over a '60 Minutes' story as a 'big fat bribe' during his first show back from a vacation.
Colbert followed 'The Daily Show' host Jon Stewart's attack of the deal one week earlier. Stewart works for Comedy Central, also owned by Paramount, making the two comics the most visible internal critics of the $16 million settlement that was announced on July 1.
Colbert's 'bribe' reference was to the pending sale of Paramount to Skydance Media, which needs Trump administration approval. Critics of the deal that ended Trump's lawsuit over the newsmagazine's editing of its interview last fall with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris suggested it was primarily to clear a hurdle to that sale.
'I am offended,' Colbert said in his monologue Monday night. 'I don't know if anything — anything — will repair my trust in this company. But, just taking a stab at it, I'd say $16 million would help.'
He said the technical name in legal circles for the deal was 'big fat bribe.'
Jon Stewart terms it 'shameful'
Stewart began discussing the 'shameful settlement' on his show a week earlier when he was 'interrupted' by a fake Arby's ad on the screen. 'That's why it was so wrong,' he said upon his 'return.'
He discussed the deal in greater detail with the show's guest, retired '60 Minutes' correspondent Steve Kroft, making his views clear through a series of leading questions.
'I would assume internally, this is devastating to the people who work in a place that pride themselves on contextual, good journalism?' Stewart asked.
'Devastating is a good word,' Kroft replied.
A handful of media reports in the past two weeks have speculated that Skydance boss David Ellison might try to curry favor with Trump by eliminating the comics' jobs if the sale is approved. A representative for Ellison did not immediately return a message for comment on Tuesday.
It would be easier to get rid of Stewart, since he works one night a week at a network that no longer produces much original content. Colbert is the ratings leader in late-night broadcast television, however, and is a relentless Trump critic.
The antipathy is mutual. Trump called Colbert 'a complete and total loser' in a Truth Social post last fall, suggesting CBS was wasting its money on him. 'HE IS VERY BORING,' Trump wrote.
Colbert slips in a quip
Colbert alluded to reports about his job security in his monologue, pointing to the mustache he grew during his vacation. 'OK, OK, but how are they going to put pressure on Stephen Colbert, if they can't find him?' he joked.
Colbert and Stewart both earned Emmy nominations this week for outstanding talk series. Together with ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, all three nominees are tough on Trump.
CBS News journalists have largely been quiet publicly since the settlement's announcement. Two top executives, CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon and '60 Minutes" executive producer Bill Owens, both quit or were forced out prior to the settlement for making their dissatisfaction about the idea known internally.
Reporting about the settlement on the day it was announced, 'CBS Evening News' anchor John Dickerson said viewers would have to decide on their own what it meant to them.
'Can you hold power to account after paying it millions?" Dickerson asked. 'Can an audience trust you when it thinks you've traded away that trust? The audience will decide that. Our job is to show up to honor what we witness on behalf of the people.'
___
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

New FEMA grant program gives states $600M to build migrant detention centers
New FEMA grant program gives states $600M to build migrant detention centers

The Hill

time13 minutes ago

  • The Hill

New FEMA grant program gives states $600M to build migrant detention centers

A new $608 million grant program from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will give states money to build detention centers for people suspected of being in the United States unlawfully. FEMA was already slated to cover some of the costs for Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' using a Biden-era program meant for helping asylum seekers. The new facility, quickly constructed in a remote part of the Florida Everglades, is expected to run a tab of about $450 million a year. The new FEMA grant program comes as the Trump administration has increasingly slashed FEMA's ability to assist disaster response, and as the president has mulled closing the agency altogether. CNN reported Friday that FEMA has proposed cutting nearly $1 billion in grant funding to help local first responders better prepare for disasters and to help bolster cybersecurity. A webpage for the program also said it would help reduce 'overcrowding' in facilities maintained by Customs and Border Patrol. A Human Rights Watch report released this week charged that three facilities run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Florida faced 'extreme overcrowding,' and that many detainees were denied access to medical care. FEMA has come under scrutiny in the wake of deadly flash floods in Texas, including reports that the federal response was hamstrung by budget cuts or controls designed to limit large expenditures. Applications for the program are open through August 8. It's not clear if states beyond Florida are yet planning make pushes to build their own detention centers.

The Trump administration is telling immigrants 'Carry your papers.' Here's what to know.
The Trump administration is telling immigrants 'Carry your papers.' Here's what to know.

USA Today

time13 minutes ago

  • USA Today

The Trump administration is telling immigrants 'Carry your papers.' Here's what to know.

Immigrants have long been required to carry ID proving they're in the US legally, but the rule was not enforced. Until now. Amid the Trump administration's ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration, the nation's immigration service is warning immigrants to carry their green card or visa at all times. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services posted the reminder July 23 on social media: "Always carry your alien registration documentation. Not having these when stopped by federal law enforcement can lead to a misdemeanor and fines." Here's what immigrants – and American citizens – need to know. 'Carry your papers' law isn't new The law requiring lawful immigrants and foreign visitors to carry their immigration documents has been on the books for decades, dating to the 1950s. The Immigration and Nationality Act states: "Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him." But the law had rarely been imposed before the Trump administration announced earlier this year that it would strictly enforce it. The "carry your papers" portion fell out of use for cultural and historical reasons, said Michelle Lapointe, legal director of the nonprofit American Immigration Council. In contrast to the Soviet bloc at the time the requirement was written, "We have never been a country where you have to produce evidence of citizenship on demand from law enforcement." In a "Know Your Rights" presentation, the ACLU cautions immigrants over age 18 to follow the law and "carry your papers with you at all times." "If you don't have them," the ACLU says, "tell the officer that you want to remain silent, or that you want to consult a lawyer before answering any questions." A 'precious' document at risk Many immigrants preferred to hold their green card or visa in safe-keeping, because, like a passport, they are expensive and difficult to obtain. Historically, it was "a little risky for people to carry these precious documents such as green card, because there is a hefty fee to replace it and they are at risk of not having proof of status – a precarious position to be in," Lapointe said. But as immigration enforcement has ramped up, the risks of not carrying legal documents have grown. Failure to comply with the law can result in a $100 fine, or imprisonment of up to 30 days. Immigration enforcement and 'racial profiling' U.S. citizens aren't required to carry documents that prove their citizenship. But in an environment of increasing immigration enforcement, Fernando Garcia, executive director of the nonprofit Border Network for Human Rights in El Paso, Texas, said he worries about U.S. citizens being targeted. "With massive raids and mass deportation, this takes a new dimension," he said. "How rapidly are we transitioning into a 'show me your papers' state?" "The problem is there are a lot of people – Mexicans, or Central Americans – who are U.S. citizens who don't have to carry anything, but they have the burden of proof based on racial profiling," he said. "There are examples of U.S. citizens being arrested already, based on their appearance and their race." Not just immigrants: Why some Native American citizens worry about getting caught in ICE's net American citizens targeted by ICE The Trump administration's widening immigration crackdown has already netted American citizens. In July, 18-year-old Kenny Laynez, an American citizen, was detained for six hours by Florida Highway Patrol and Border Patrol agents. He was later released. Federal agents also detained a California man, Angel Pina, despite his U.S. citizenship in July. He was later released. Elzon Limus, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen from Long Island, New York, decried his arrest by ICE agents in June, after he was released. In a video of the arrest, immigration agents demand Limus show ID, with one explaining he "looks like somebody we are looking for." In updated guidance, attorneys at the firm of Masuda, Funai, Eifert & Mitchell, which has offices in Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles, advise U.S. who are concerned about being stopped and questioned "to carry a U.S. passport card or a copy of their U.S. passport as evidence of U.S. citizenship." Lauren Villagran can be reached at lvillagran@

Academic with history of incendiary remarks to lead US Institute of Peace
Academic with history of incendiary remarks to lead US Institute of Peace

Politico

time14 minutes ago

  • Politico

Academic with history of incendiary remarks to lead US Institute of Peace

'We look forward to seeing him advance President Trump's America First agenda in this new role,' the statement said. USIP has been in turmoil in recent months as the administration and its Department of Government Efficiency sought to close the organization and withhold funding. The State Department said the institute has in recent decades 'slipped in its mission' to provide research, analysis and training in diplomacy. In February, several dozen Democratic House members signed a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio opposing Beattie's appointment to his current role. They cited his 'white nationalist loyalties and public glorification of our adversaries' authoritarian systems,' which included praise of the Chinese Communist Party and dismissal of its campaign against the largely Muslim Uyghurs. Beattie also drew widespread condemnation for a 2024 social media post on X in which he wrote 'competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work.' Beattie, who previously served as a visiting instructor at Duke University, has since been at the forefront of the Trump administration's efforts to overhaul the State Department's Fulbright Program and shutter its Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Hub. Trump signed an executive order firing USIP President George Moose and most of USIP's board in February. The remaining board members, including Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, subsequently installed Department of Government Efficiency staffer Kenneth Jackson, as acting president. DOGE staffer Nate Cavanaugh later took over as acting president. The Trump administration laid off most of the embattled institute's staff in March following a tense standoff between USIP staffers and DOGE employees at the institute's headquarters. A federal judge subsequently blocked the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the organization, which was founded in 1984.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store