CBS News' Weiss Meets With 60-Minutes Team

Members of the "60 Minutes" team met earlier this week to discuss potential revisions to correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi's investigative segment on Venezuelan migrants deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador's notorious CECOT mega-prison, amid ongoing uncertainty about its broadcast fate under CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss.

According to Oliver Darcy at Status, the meeting, held on Tuesday, focused on what changes might be needed to secure Weiss's approval for airing the piece, originally titled "Inside CECOT" and pulled at the last minute from a December 21, 2025, episode. Sources familiar with the discussions told outlets that staff explored modifications but reached no resolution, leaving the segment's status murky weeks after its initial shelving.

The segment, reported by Alfonsi, featured interviews with released deportees describing brutal conditions—including allegations of torture, physical abuse, and inhumane treatment—at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). It highlighted the Trump administration's deportation of hundreds of mostly Venezuelan men earlier in 2025, often with limited due process, under a deal with El Salvador.

Weiss's decision to pull the story hours before broadcast sparked internal backlash, with Alfonsi accusing the move of being "political" rather than editorial in a note to colleagues. She argued the piece had passed rigorous vetting, including multiple screenings and legal reviews, and that requests for comment from the Department of Homeland Security, White House, and State Department went unanswered—effectively giving the administration a "kill switch" on critical reporting.

Weiss countered that the segment was "not ready," insisting on greater efforts to include on-camera responses from Trump officials, reportedly suggesting an interview with senior adviser Stephen Miller. While the piece later aired inadvertently in Canada and circulated online, no formal updates from CBS News have emerged on a U.S. broadcast date.

Insiders indicate the segment could potentially air as soon as January 18, 2026, but it remains equally likely to stay delayed indefinitely as discussions continue without clear consensus.