CBS News Faces Turmoil as Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss Announces Staff Cuts, Commentary Expansion

CBS News is undergoing significant changes as Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss announced plans to cut staff and hire approximately 18 paid commentators, according to NPR News. The announcement, scheduled for an all-staff meeting on Tuesday morning, comes after a rocky start for Weiss, who arrived with a mandate to reshape the network's news coverage.

Weiss's initial moves involving mainstay shows such as "60 Minutes" and the "CBS Evening News" have sparked dissent inside the newsroom and drawn criticism from journalists outside the network, NPR News reported. The specific number of staff cuts was not immediately clear.

The changes at CBS News come amid broader discussions about economic growth and global challenges. Last week, politicians and business leaders gathered in Davos, promising to unlock new sources of growth to solve the world’s many crises, Time reported. However, some experts argue that economic growth is not a "magic bullet" and won't necessarily solve global poverty, as vast wealth has historically funneled into the hands of a few, trapping millions in insecure and poorly-paid jobs, according to Time.

Meanwhile, President Trump's economic policies and statements continue to draw scrutiny. At the World Economic Forum on January 21, Trump addressed concerns about the increasing federal deficit and debt, stating, "Growth is the way we go from high debt to low debt. We’re going to be growing our way out, and I think we’re going to be paying down debt," Fortune reported. However, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and most private forecasts predict that the deficit will continue to worsen under current policies, and Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" could add $5.5 trillion to the deficit, potentially sabotaging his plan, according to Fortune.

Trump also drew criticism for comments made about Somalis at Davos. He claimed, "We're cracking down on more than 19 billion in fraud that was stolen by Somalian bandits... These are low IQ people, how do they go into Minnesota and steal all that money?" Time reported. These remarks were widely disseminated and discussed across the Somali diaspora, according to Time.

In other news related to immigration, Vox highlighted several ways to rein in ICE, including actions by Congress, the courts, and state governments to check the abuses of immigration agents. This comes after recent events in Minneapolis, where federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, sparking protests, according to Vox.