CBS News axes star reporter Catherine Herridge in shocking layoff: 'Got rid of her enemies under the guise of budget cuts'



Award-winning journalist Catherine Herridge is out of a job.

On Tuesday, CBS News parted ways with Herridge, a senior investigative correspondent who primarily covered national security and intelligence. She had most recently reported on new allegations against President Joe Biden and the battle to release the transcripts of Biden's interviews with special counsel Robert Hur.

Herridge was seemingly caught up in a mass layoff impacting approximately 800 employees at Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News.

But sources who spoke with the New York Post alleged that axing Herridge was not simply a cost-cutting measure.

The Post reported:

Sources said Herridge had clashed with CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews — a sharp-elbowed executive who was investigated in 2021 over favoritism and discriminatory hiring and management practices, as revealed by The Post.

"[Ciprian-Matthews] got rid of her enemies under the guise of budget cuts," a source told the Post. "She cleared the deck and she had to sacrifice some others like [CBS News correspondent Jeff] Pegues."

Before joining CBS News in 2019, Herridge had worked at Fox News since its inception in 1996. Herridge is a widely respected journalist who often reported on topics the legacy media ignored. It was a shock, then, that Herridge was chosen as one of the reported 20 journalists at CBS News to be laid off.

Her surprise termination was widely eulogized on social media at CBS News' expense:

  • "CBS News was one of the most respected names in journalism. That's no longer the case. Today, it fired Catherine Herridge who is facing financial ruin and even prison for protecting her sources. Herridge is a hero. CBS execs have behaved cowardly. Shame on them," journalist Michael Shellenberger reacted.
  • ".@CBS is stupid (and cruel I might add) …CEO’s boss makes 32 million+/year and yesterday the company laid off Catherine Herridge (great reporter/incredible sources/honest) …is he really worth 32 million that the company loses great reporters?" journalist Greta Van Susteren said.
  • "Catherine Herridge is a national treasure and journalistic hero. Old media is destroying herself. I can’t tell you what an insane move it is for @CBSNews to let her go — particularly during an election year…." Meghan McCain said.
  • "This is terrible news for the network and a sign of the professional atrophy that is accelerating at various media organizations. Herridge was wonderfully 'old school' in insisting on objectivity and balance in her reporting," law professor Jonathan Turley noted.

Herridge, meanwhile, is at the center of a high-stakes First Amendment case in which a judge has ordered her to reveal a source for a story she reported during her tenure at Fox News.

Herridge has so far refused, and a judge has threatened to hold her in contempt of court.

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CBS anchors slam WH press sec for pushing narrative about classified docs: 'Has not answered a single question'



Two CBS News anchors called out White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday for refusing to answer basic questions about the discovery of classified documents at President Joe Biden's private office and residence.

Over the past two days, Jean-Pierre has faced a barrage of intense questions about the documents. She has frustrated reporters, however, by repeatedly dodging the questions.

CBS anchors Errol Barnett and Lana Zak slammed Jean-Pierre for having "not answered a single question" about the discovery of the documents.

"For a second straight day now, the White House struggling to answer any questions related to classified documents discovered at locations associated with President Biden, citing Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary, simply reading a statement, where she says the president was surprised by the discovery, takes this matter very seriously, the documents were inadvertently misplaced, and he doesn't know what's in them," Barnett began.

"She has not answered a single question outside of a prewritten statement by the president's lawyers," he said.

"Exactly," Zak agreed. "And continuing then to say the same thing again and again. Even in response to very simple questions about the timeline, about the specific location, clarifying questions, and continuing to use the word 'transparent' and saying that they did things in a transparent manner."

"You heard our own CBS' Ed O'Keefe really trying to pin her down on what she means by transparency when she's saying that she has been transparent. Does that mean legal transparency? Governmental transparency as required by law? Or public transparency?" Zak asked.

\u201c.@errolbarnett & @LanaZak on @CBSNews Streaming earlier recapping today's press briefing after the AG's announcement of an special counsel, the White House struggled to answer any of reporters' questions on classified documents found at locations associated with President Biden.\u201d
— Joshua Albarran (@Joshua Albarran) 1673572009

Reporters are now directly questioning the Biden administration's narrative that officials have been "transparent" and forthcoming about the classified documents.

At one point in Thursday's White House briefing, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked what the Biden administration is trying to "hide."

"Nothing," Jean-Pierre claimed.

But that is almost implausible. Not only did the White House not tell the American public about the first discovery of classified documents until two months after the midterm elections, but when officials admitted to the first batch, they neglected to say anything about the second batch that had already been discovered.

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CBS News quits posting on Twitter because of 'uncertainty' of Elon Musk's leadership, but continues to use Chinese surveillance app TikTok



CBS News has declared that it will cease posting on Twitter because of "uncertainty" under the new leadership of Elon Musk. However, CBS News continues to operate an account on TikTok – which the U.S. government has warned is a Chinese surveillance tool.

"CBS Evening News" ran a piece on Friday night titled: "Twitter Turmoil." The segment began with anchor Major Garrett saying – without evidence – that Musk is "scrambling, quite simply, to prevent the social media platform from collapsing."

CBS News national correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti claimed that Musk offered "little reassurance he has a permanent plan" for the future of Twitter because the Tesla CEO asked users of the social media platform what Twitter should do next. On multiple occasions since acquiring Twitter, Musk has asked Twitter users how the social media platform could be better going forward.

Vigliotti interviewed one former Twitter employee who worked at the company until Musk acquired the company. Coincidentally, the former disgruntled employee is a plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against Twitter. The former employee claimed that Twitter under Musk was "definitely a culture of fear and uncertainty, of anxiety."

Justine De Caires worked at Twitter while Musk was the CEO for only a few days. Musk completed the acquisition of Twitter on Oct. 27, then quickly laid-off employees. Justine De Caires was one of five former Twitter employees who were immediately fired and swiftly filed a lawsuit on Nov. 4. The lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court claims that Twitter violated the federal and California laws of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN). The law requires employers to provide at least 60 days' notice before "plant closings" or "mass layoffs."

Vigliotti then announced that CBS News would quit posting on Twitter because of "uncertainty" on the social media platform.

"In light of the uncertainty around Twitter and out of an abundance of caution, CBS News is pausing its activity on the social media site as it continues to monitor the platform," Vigliotti said.

\u201c\ud83d\udea8#BREAKING: CBS News and local CBS-owned stations have suspended their use of Twitter. CBS has just confirmed that they are no longer posting updates on Twitter\u201d
— R A W S A L E R T S (@R A W S A L E R T S) 1668833209

At 9:40 p.m. on Friday, the CBS-owned news station KPIX in San Francisco shared a near-identical message on Twitter.

"In light of the uncertainty around Twitter and out of an abundance of caution, CBS News Bay Area is pausing its activity on the social media site as we continue to monitor the platform," the news network tweeted.

\u201cIn light of the uncertainty around Twitter and out of an abundance of caution, CBS News Bay Area is pausing its activity on the social media site as we continue to monitor the platform.\u201d
— KPIX 5 (@KPIX 5) 1668825628

At the time of publication, the official CBS News Twitter account with nearly 9 million followers has not posted on Musk's social media platform since Friday. The same goes for the CBS Twitter account with over 1 million followers, "CBS Mornings" Twitter account with nearly 500,000 followers, the "CBS Evening News" account with nearly 400,000 followers, and "CBS Sunday Morning" with over 260,000 followers.

CBS affiliates in Chicago, Colorado, Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York have not posted in nearly 24 hours.

The official CBS News Radio Twitter account continues to tweet.

However, CBS News continues to maintain an account on TikTok – which has often been described as possible Chinese spyware.

In October, Forbes reported that TikTok was planning to utilize location data collected on the app to track and monitor some American citizens.

A report by Forbes released in August found that "three hundred current employees at TikTok and its parent company ByteDance previously worked for Chinese state media publications." The report said that 15 employees worked simultaneously at ByteDance and Chinese state media.

In June, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr urged Apple and Google to remove the TikTok app from their online stores. Carr stated, "At its core, TikTok functions as a sophisticated surveillance tool that harvests extensive amounts of personal and sensitive data."

In June 2021, TikTok updated its privacy policy in the United States to give the app permission to collect biometric data of U.S. users, which includes faceprints and voiceprints.

In July 2020, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that TikTok puts "your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party."

In December 2019, the Defense Department said TikTok has "potential security risks associated with its use."

The Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Army, and Navy previously prohibited TikTok from being used on government-issued phones.

CBS News has done extensive coverage of the potential security dangers of TikTok.

In November 2020, CBS News interviewed Klon Kitchen – who previously worked on cyber strategy at the National Counterterrorism Center, as a senior program assessment officer at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in the Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, and as the lead analyst on al Qaeda senior leadership at the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Klon told CBS News, "What makes TikTok particularly concerning is its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing, the government of China. The Chinese have fused their government and their industry together so that they cooperate to achieve the ends of the state."

Klon informed the outlet that TikTok uses phones to collect "your name, your home address, your personal network, who you're friends with, your online viewing habits," and keystroke data.

CBS News published another piece titled: "How TikTok could be used for disinformation and espionage."

In 2019, CBS News ran an article with the headline: "Senators say TikTok should be investigated by U.S. intelligence for potential 'national security risks.'"

You can watch the entire CBS News segment regarding Twitter below.

Elon Musk's Twitter ultimatum met with mass resignations www.youtube.com

Trump for speaker of House? Democrat claims Republicans are 'repeatedly' pushing Trump for top post



Democrats are floating the possibility that Donald Trump could become speaker of the House if Republicans manage to retake control of the House.

Wait — Trump?

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) claimed on CBS News' "Face the Nation" Sunday that Republican lawmakers are considering installing Trump as House speaker.

In fact, Raskin claimed that Republicans have "repeatedly" discussed the possibility.

"It's a real problem for Kevin McCarthy now because there are certain pro-Trumpists within his House caucus who refuse to accept that he's really with Trump, and they want to get rid of McCarthy," Raskin claimed.

"We know that the hard-right Freedom Caucus people are in search of another candidate. And one potential candidate whose name has been floated is Donald Trump himself because the speaker of the House does not have to be a member of the House," he alleged. "And they are talking about putting Trump right there."

\u201cAt least 155 GOP "election deniers" will serve in the new House, @CBSNews projects.\n \nRep. Jamie Raskin: "That's a statement about the political contamination of the GOP by Donald Trump."\u201d
— Face The Nation (@Face The Nation) 1668366201

The Maryland Democrat cited Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) as one lawmaker who could support Trump for the post.

But Biggs has not indicated that he will support Trump. Instead, Biggs himself is going to campaign for speaker, the Wall Street Journal reported.

What is the bigger picture?

While some Republicans in the past have floated Trump as a House speaker candidate, Raskin provided no evidence to back his claim that Republicans are internally pushing for Trump now.

Since Election Day, not a single Republicans has publicly backed Trump for the position.

Raskin's rhetorical sleight-of-hand, however, is clear. Democrats understand the red wave never materialized because of Trump's influence in the 2022 midterm elections — hence why moderate Republicans often won reelection in landslides, while Trump-endorsed candidates either lost or won narrowly — so they will continue tying Republicans to Trump.

Still, Republicans are expected to win control of the House, albeit by a small majority. McCarthy is the favorite to become speaker, but his path will not be easy.

"All I’ll say at the moment is McCarthy doesn’t have 218, and there will be an alternative challenger," a spokesman for Biggs told WSJ.

'Highly credible' whistleblowers expose FBI 'scheme' to protect Hunter Biden from damning allegations



"Highly credible" whistleblowers allege the FBI and Justice Department are engaging in a coordinated scheme to downplay and discredit negative information related to Hunter Biden.

The shocking allegation was revealed in a letter that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray. That letter was made public on Monday.

What are the allegations?

Grassley disclosed that his office has received "a significant number" of legally protected communications from whistleblowers regarding these allegations.

"The information provided to my office involves concerns about the FBI’s receipt and use of derogatory information relating to Hunter Biden, and the FBI’s false portrayal of acquired evidence as disinformation," Grassley explained. "The volume and consistency of these allegations substantiate their credibility and necessitate this letter."

\u201cNEW: Multiple \u201chighly credible\u201d FBI whistleblowers have come forward to senior Senate Republican @ChuckGrassley alleging widespread effort to downplay or discredit negative information about the President 's son Hunter Biden, according to letters @CBSNews https://t.co/hw5kGiTFVv\u201d
— Catherine Herridge (@Catherine Herridge) 1658794593

The first allegation of allegedly corrupt behavior highlights an FBI intelligence assessment opened in 2020.

That assessment, according to Grassley, was "used by an FBI headquarters team to improperly discredit negative Hunter Biden information as disinformation."

"Based on allegations, verified and verifiable derogatory information on Hunter Biden was falsely labeled as disinformation," Grassley explained. "Accordingly, the allegations provided to my office appear to indicate that there was a scheme in place among certain FBI officials to undermine derogatory information connected to Hunter Biden by falsely suggesting it was disinformation."

The second serious allegation centers on FBI agents placing "their findings with respect to whether reporting was disinformation in a restricted access sub-file reviewable only by the particular agents responsible for uncovering the specific information."

"This is problematic because it does not allow for proper oversight and opens the door to improper influence," Grassley wrote.

The third allegation claims a supervisory agent ordered closed "an avenue of additional derogatory Hunter Biden reporting" on the basis that it was vulnerable to disinformation.

But, Grassley wrote, "according to allegations, all of the reporting was either verified or verifiable via criminal search warrants."

"Despite the matter being closed in such a way that the investigative avenue might be opened later, it’s alleged that FBI officials, including [the supervisory agent], subsequently attempted to improperly mark the matter in FBI systems so that it could not be opened in the future," Grassley said.

What did the FBI, DOJ say?

Both agencies confirmed they received the letter, but neither offered additional comment.

However, Grassley made it clear what the allegations mean if they prove to be true.

"If these allegations are true and accurate, the Justice Department and FBI are — and have been — institutionally corrupted to their very core to the point in which the United States Congress and the American people will have no confidence in the equal application of the law," Grassley declared.

"Attorney General Garland and Director Wray, simply put, based on the allegations that I’ve received from numerous whistleblowers, you have systemic and existential problems within your agencies," he added.

'They don't understand': Biden responds to angry Americans who called him out while touring storm damage



President Joe Biden completely dismissed angry Americans on Tuesday who earlier in the day had called out the president as he was touring the storm damage in New Jersey.

What happened first?

As Biden was touring damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, nearby people in a Manville, New Jersey, residential neighborhood yelled at the president.

"I'm an immigrant and I am proud of this country," one woman screamed. "I'd give my life for this country. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves — this is a republic, not China. It's sad. It's sad that America has come to this. It's sad — despicable."

Others nearby demanded that Biden resign, and even called him a "f***ing tyrant." One man said, "All this for a f***in' photo-op? You ain't gonna do s**t!"

Also heard in the background was a man chiding Biden for his botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Although the audio is difficult to discern, the man said his friend died in Afghanistan in 2011.

"For what? So this guy could pull this s**t? You leave them in ruins and you leave Americans behind!" the man screamed.

"You leave Americans behind!" the man screamed again. "We will leave you behind!"

Content Warning: Strong language:

"It's sad that America has come to this." BIDEN takes a barrage of heckles from people behind a fence waving a Tr… https://t.co/Z0iXhIVrzF

— Zach Purser Brown (@zachjourno) 1631040929.0

As the New York Post noted, anti-Biden demonstrators lined the streets where his motorcade drove. People reportedly gave Biden the middle finger, and many held anti-Biden signs.

One sign reportedly read "F*** Biden And F*** You for Voting For Him," while another said, "Biden go back 2 the basement." People also held pro-Trump flags and signs.

How did Biden respond?

While speaking in Queens after surveying the storm damage, Biden acknowledged that he was heckled, but outright dismissed the angry Americans.

Biden oddly claimed the hecklers did not live in the neighborhood — despite cameras capturing some of those who voiced the frustrations standing clearly inside a fenced yard — and said the hecklers were angry about "free enterprise."

"The people who stand on the other side of the fences, who don't live there, who are yelling that we're talking about interfering with free enterprise by doing something about climate change — they don't live there, they don't live— they don't understand," Biden said.

Biden says after touring storm damage in NYC and NJ: "The people who stand on the other side of the fences, who don… https://t.co/betLBraaT0

— CBS News (@CBSNews) 1631047926.0

Biden has blamed climate change for Hurricane Ida, which killed dozens of Americans, mainly in New York and New Jersey. He used a speech on Tuesday to urge Americans to take "bold action now to tackle the accelerating effects of climate." Biden suggested his multitrillion dollar spending bills are the solution that Americans need.

The president is also asking Congress for $24 billion in disaster relief funds, NPR reported. The money would be used to help recover Americans impacted by tropical storms, like Hurricane Ida, and wildfires that continue to ravage the west, as they do every summer.

Fauci says third vaccine dose 'likely' necessary in order for Americans to 'enjoy the privileges of the freedoms' of being fully vaccinated



Infectious diseases expert and White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday that he would not be at all surprised if the recommended full regimen for the two-shot COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. became three doses instead of two, according to CNBC.

What are the details?

During a Thursday White House press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic, Fauci was asked if he believed the U.S. would follow Israel's example and require people to receive a third dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in order to be considered "fully vaccinated."

Zeke Miller with the Associated Press asked Fauci, "You mentioned the studies in Israel. We've seen the Israeli government require people to get a third dose of the vaccine to be considered fully vaccinated. They're — do you expect a similar change the United States that — you know, that if the third dose after that eight-month waiting period will be required to be, quote, unquote, 'considered fully vaccinated' and enjoy the privileges of the freedoms that that provides?"

Fauci responded, "The determination whether something is now — constitute 'fully vaccinated,' I will leave that up to the FDA when they get the data on the three doses to make that determination — and then, ultimately, a recommendation from the ACIP to the CDC so that it's recommended."

"But I must say," he continued, "from my own experience as an immunologist, I would not at all be surprised that the adequate, full regimen for vaccination will likely be three doses. And the reason I say that is that it is very clear, when you give a prime and maybe a second shot as a boost — but give the immune system enough chance to mature, in both affinity maturation and maturation of the B cell repertoire, it is entirely understandable why the results that I've just reported from the Israeli boosters are so dramatic."

Fauci, who is also the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, added that he would leave it up to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ultimately determine the composition of a "full regimen," but said that he personally believes that three doses rather than two would likely provide a more durable response.

Fauci added, "And we all hope — and I believe we have good reason to believe — that that only will not be a strong response, but that it will actually be durable. And if it is durable, then you're going to have — very likely — a three-dose regimen being the routine regimen. But we'll just have to wait to make sure that that's the case when the data get presented to the FDA."

CBS News on Friday tweeted video of Fauci's remarks, captioning it, "Dr. Fauci says he would be 'not at all surprised' if three vaccine doses becomes the 'adequate, full regimen' for protection from COVID-19."

Dr. Fauci says he would be "not at all be surprised" if three vaccine doses becomes the "adequate, full regimen" fo… https://t.co/Q46Ed49t8Q

— CBS News (@CBSNews) 1630611125.0

Anything else to know?

Elsewhere during the briefing, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients noted that 175 million Americans have now been fully vaccinated, a month-over-month increase of 10 million.

"That's a major milestone in our vaccination effort," Zients said in his remarks.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Rochelle Walensky added that the seven-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases as of Thursday was more than 150,000 per day.

Biden, Fauci considering speeding up COVID booster shot timeline to 5 months



President Joe Biden said Friday that he and Dr. Anthony Fauci have discussed moving up the timeline of COVID-19 booster shots to five months after Americans receive their second dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Previously, the plan by the Biden administration was to administer booster shots eight months after the second vaccination.

President Biden revealed that he was considering speeding up booster shots by three months during an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Friday.

"The question raised is should it be shorter than eight months? Should it be as little as five months? That's being discussed," Biden told the press about the booster shot timeline. "I spoke with Dr. Fauci this morning about that."

Biden did not reveal what Fauci, who is the chief medical adviser to the president on COVID-19, recommended as far as the optimum booster shot time.

Biden said booster shots for Americans "will start here on Sept. 20 pending approval of the FDA and the CDC committee of outside experts."

In regard to the interval between the second and third COVID-19 shot, Biden said Bennett advised him to "start earlier."

Bloomberg reported that Biden's decision is "relying substantially on data from Israel."

Shortly after Biden made the comments to accelerate the booster shot timeframe, "a White House official said there had been no change in the plan to administer boosters after eight months," Bloomberg noted.

President Biden says there are discussion with federal health officials about offering COVID booster shots as early… https://t.co/KiWBJh1RPi

— CBS News (@CBSNews) 1630087617.0

Biden's senior health team announced on Aug. 18 that booster shots would be available on Sept. 20 for those who received their second vaccine dose eight months prior. On Aug. 25, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden administration was looking into having boosters available after six months from the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.

The booster timeline is still subject to authorization by the Food and Drug Administration.

Pfizer and BioNTech have requested FDA approval for a booster shot. Thus far, the FDA only approved emergency use authorizations for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna booster vaccines for "the use of an additional dose in certain immunocompromised individuals, specifically, solid organ transplant recipients or those who are diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise."

The World Health Organization has pleaded with wealthy nations to hold off on booster shots so that the third world could get vaccinations.

"We need an urgent reversal from the majority of vaccines going to high-income countries, to the majority going to low income countries," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing earlier this month.

Twitter users pounce on CBS News over article titled, 'How climate change helped strengthen the Taliban'



A number of Twitter users pounced on CBS News in response to a tweet linking to an article titled, "How climate change helped strengthen the Taliban."

Much attention has recently been focused on Afghanistan where the Taliban has seized control. The U.S. is currently scrambling to evacuate its citizens and others, and the Biden administration has been subjected to significant criticism for bungling efforts to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and for the ensuing chaos.

CBS News indicates in the article that climate change has benefitted the Taliban.

"Rural Afghanistan has been rocked by climate change. The past three decades have brought floods and drought that have destroyed crops and left people hungry. And the Taliban — likely without knowing climate change was the cause — has taken advantage of that pain," the article begins.

The piece states that "climate change has made farming increasingly difficult" in Afghanistan. Here's more from the article:

Whether from drought or flood-ravaged soil, farmers in the region struggle to maintain productive crops and livestock. When they cannot profitably farm, they're forced to borrow funds to survive. When Afghans can't pay off lenders, the Taliban often steps in to sow government resentment.

"If you've lost your crop and land or the Afghan government hasn't paid enough attention [to you] then of course, the Taliban can come and exploit it," said Kamal Alam, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center.

The Taliban has capitalized on the agricultural stress and distrust in government to recruit supporters. Alam said the group has the means to pay fighters more, $5-$10 per day, than what they can make farming.

Many social media users criticized CBS News in response to the outlet's tweet sharing the article.

"Can someone make me feel better and tell me US journalism has hit rock bottom with this piece? Please? Someone?" one tweet read.

"CBS, America's Most Watched Network, runs with *climate change is helping the Taliban* I had to double check if I was reading @TheOnion Nope. It's really @CBSNews," another tweet declared.

@CBSNews CBS, America's Most Watched Network, runs with *climate change is helping the Taliban*I had to double ch… https://t.co/QpeDTXnuLe

— Joel M. Petlin (@Joelmpetlin) 1629490597.0

"Is this Babylone Bee or what?" another person said.

"@CBSNews is a deeply unserious organization," a different tweet said.

"Exhibit A as to why people dislike and do not trust the media," another user declared.

But not everyone attacked CBS News in the Twitter comments.

"This article seems… fine. What's the problem?" a tweet inquired.

"People in these replies should actually read the article - it makes perfect sense and makes a good point," another tweet stated.

NY Gov. Cuomo tells private businesses to switch to 'vaccine-only' admission



New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Monday asked private businesses in the state to switch to "vaccine-only admission" after announcing a new vaccine mandate for transit workers as COVID-19 cases surge.

"Private businesses, I am asking them and suggesting to them: Go to vaccine-only admission," Cuomo said at a news conference. The governor believes it is in the "best business interests" of bars, restaurants, sports stadiums, and music venues to bar unvaccinated people from admission, reasoning that vaccinated customers will be more willing to go out if they think everyone else has taken a vaccine too.

"If you say to people, 'Well, if you don't have a vaccine, you can't get into these establishments,' then you'll see a real incentive to get vaccinated," Cuomo said.

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo says private businesses, including stadiums and restaurants, should switch to "vaccine-only ad… https://t.co/00VmDXJgdI

— CBS News (@CBSNews) 1627912646.0

Earlier at the news conference, Cuomo announced that all MTA and Port Authority workers in the state will be required to get vaccinated by Labor Day or be tested for COVID-19 weekly to keep their jobs. The mandate follows an order Cuomo issued last week requiring health care workers at state hospitals to be vaccinated or subject themselves to weekly testing.

"I don't believe a mask policy is going to be enough," Cuomo told reporters. "I think we're going to have to talk about a vaccination policy."

The vaccine mandates come after New York saw an 81% increase in the seven-day average COVID case count, for an average of 2,418 new cases reported last week.

"You should be vaccinated, or don't work in a frontline position," Cuomo said.

Large corporations have already begun to implement vaccine mandates. The Walt Disney Company, Walmart, Facebook, Google, Uber, and others are requiring that at least some employees must be vaccinated in order to report to work.

Walmart last week said vaccines are mandatory for employees in its headquarters and for managers traveling around the United States, but blue-collar employees in stores, clubs, and distribution and fulfillment centers are not yet required to be vaccinated.

Similarly, Disney is requiring salaried and nonunion hourly U.S. employees to get vaccinated, but unionized employees are currently in discussions with the corporate giant about mandatory vaccinations, according to the New York Times.

A recent poll conducted by the COVID States Project found that nearly two-thirds of Americans support requiring everyone to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The poll found that 64% of more than 20,000 U.S. adults from across the nation said that they'd support government vaccine requirements.