Media

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that the U.S. would invade Venezuela with troops unless the country allowed between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to be brought to the U.S.

During a Wednesday interview on the Charlie Kirk show, host Blake Neff asked Hegseth what would prompt President Donald Trump to put "boots on the ground" in Venezuela.

CBS News insiders are expressing deep embarrassment over the performance of fledgling evening anchor Tony Dokoupil, whom News chief Bari Weiss hand-selected, with critics arguing that his debut proves Weiss lacks the experience to lead a major news division.

According to Oliver Darcy's "Status" newsletter, staff morale at CBS has deteriorated significantly as Dokoupil caters to the Trump administration while occupying the anchor chair once held by Walter Cronkite.

Dokoupil's Monday broadcast revealed uncertainty about story selection. His Tuesday evening segment profiling Secretary of State Marco Rubio featured whimsical AI-generated images depicting Rubio in his various roles, concluding with Dokoupil declaring, "Marco Rubio, we salute you. You are the ultimate Florida man!"

Darcy noted that under typical circumstances, such lighthearted praise from an ostensibly objective journalist would have seemed inappropriate. The context of recent days made the segment particularly jarring.

Additional concerns emerged from a CBS profile of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The segment showed Noem, presented in glamorous styling, lecturing an immigrant about accountability for alleged crimes.

According to Darcy, interviews with CBS insiders and media observers revealed consistent themes: "deep embarrassment, coupled with growing alarm about where one of television's most storied newscasts is heading."

Dokoupil's initial performances have validated Weiss's critics, who argue her lack of journalism leadership experience is becoming evident, with internal finger-pointing already in full force.

Executive producer Kim Harvey, elevated to her position last summer, faces particular criticism. Multiple sources described Harvey as a "yes-person" willing to accommodate her supervisors. One insider stated, "Knives are coming out for Kim who is totally in over her head and answering every whim of Tony and Bari, which is why it's such a s--- show, since they have no idea what they're doing."

One television executive suggested the reputational damage may be irreversible: "It's a total triumph that anyone is talking about CBS News. The problem is, it's bad. It's not good. They've gotten pilloried everywhere."

A Variety review described Dokoupil as lacking "the charisma and aptitude to turn the 'Evening News' into whatever it is she [Weiss] may want." Critic Daniel D'Addario wrote, "In his official first broadcast on Jan. 5, Dokoupil betrayed a Weissian willingness to bulldoze past that which might seem too untidy for whatever hypothetical viewer he and his editor have in mind."

Fox News host Martha MacCallum gasped at Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) as he reminded her that President Donald Trump had promised to release the Epstein files during a fiery interview about the attack on Venezuela.

"You just heard General Keene say, I think this is probably the way to go," MacCallum told Coons of Trump's apparent plan for Venezuela. "Leave some of this structure in place and then hopefully move towards a democracy. You would have said, no, don't do it."

Vice President JD Vance vowed to track down alleged left-wing terror "networks," which he insisted were purchasing bricks to throw at Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

On Tuesday, Vance told conservative podcast host Scott Jennings that his family was doing well after a man "attacked" their house with a hammer while they were away.

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell vowed to use his feeble Lindell Foundation to secure the welfare system if he's elected governor of Minnesota.

During a Monday interview with Steve Bannon, Lindell reacted to reports that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) could run for governor now that current Gov. Tim Walz (D) had dropped his re-election campaign.

Pro-MAGA podcaster Dr. Drew Pinsky lashed out at reporters for believing President Donald Trump's claim that he had an MRI procedure instead of being tested by CT scan equipment.

After months of claiming he had an MRI, Trump recently clarified to The Wall Street Journal that he had a CT scan instead.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) suggested that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had failed the Republican Party by refusing to open the House of Representatives for legislative business during the government shutdown last year.

During an appearance on C-SPAN this week, host Dasha Burns noted that the year ended without passing an extension for health care subsidies, causing insurance costs to skyrocket for many Americans.

MAGA influencer Steve Bannon complained after former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was not invited to the swearing-in of current Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

"Were you invited to go to the inaugural?" Bannon asked Giuliani on his Friday broadcast. "Were you invited to sit up there as a former mayor? I saw de Blasio. Were you invited?"

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell vowed to mount a national campaign for Minnesota governor based on promises to jail current Gov. Tim Walz and other Democrats.

During a Friday interview on Steve Bannon's War Room podcast, Lindell floated the idea of sending Walz to prison over allegations of fraud connected to Somali daycares.

President Donald Trump kicked off 2026 by shopping for Italian marble in Florida despite the ongoing affordability crisis.

"The pool is told that POTUS is shopping at Arc Stone & Tile in an industrial area of Lake Worth off of I-95," Cat Zakrzewski reported on Friday for the White House press pool. "The pool is still holding in vans outside the store and has not yet seen POTUS."

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) admonished President Donald Trump for essentially dismantling Voice of America, a U.S. sponsored broadcaster targeting foreigners, because it would have helped support new protests in Iran.

Bacon made the remarks on X after right-wing think tanks called for regime change in Iran, a longtime right-wing goal.

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and disgraced former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn expressed alarm after claiming that President Donald Trump's administration was investigating them.

During what was billed as an "emergency" message to Trump on Wednesday, Jones brought Flynn on his show to address concerns that the administration was targeting them both instead of going after members of the so-called deep state.