TV News LIES

Before-and-after photos of a Palestinian journalist released from Israeli detention have sparked anger on social media and calls for accountability from journalists and rights organisations, describing the Israeli prison system as a “tool for both the slow and direct killing” of detainees.

Mujahed Bani Mufleh shared a photograph of his shocking physical state after eight months in Israeli prison on his Instagram page on Wednesday.

The 36-year-old was held in administrative detention - imprisonment without charge or trial - and eventually released from Israeli prison in January. He found out just two days later that he had suffered a severe brain hemorrhage due to prison conditions and medical neglect. He required emergency surgeries and continues to face a long road to recovery, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said in a statement.

The father of three from the town of Beita, in Nablus in the occupied West Bank, described the nights in Israeli prison in a statement accompanying the images: “You lie awake between physical suffering and heavy thoughts, counting the hours and waiting for dawn as if it were salvation.”

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President Trump abruptly ended his interview with NBC News’s Kristen Welker on Friday, after the two discussed his unfounded claim that the California gubernatorial primary was “rigged.”

During a lengthy interview in Wisconsin that aired Sunday on “Meet the Press,” Trump repeated his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and said “it’s happening again right now” in California.

Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) on Thursday advanced to November’s general election in the Golden State, according to Decision Desk HQ. With 73 percent of the vote in as of Sunday, Becerra leads Republican Steve Hilton by less than 1 percentage point.

Hilton is more than 4.7 percentage points ahead of Democrat Tom Steyer, but Decision Desk HQ is yet to call the race for the second candidate to advance.

The president said it’s been four days “and they aren’t even close” to coming up with the results, referring to California’s slow vote-counting process. “Do you know why they’re doing that? Because they’re cheating on the election,” Trump said.

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Increasingly outspoken "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley apparently has harsh words for his new CBS bosses.

The anchor, during a reported staff meeting, accused network Editor in Chief Bari Weiss of "murdering" the news institution, according to a recording obtained by The New York Times and reported Monday,

USA TODAY has reached out to CBS for comment.

The outlets report that the meeting was to serve as an introduction to Bilton, a former Times technology columnist and investigative journalist, who was selected to lead "60 Minutes" in late May.

In a tense reported exchange during the meeting, in which The New York Times reports Pelley called Bilton's qualifications "slender," the broadcast journalist questioned Weiss' commitment to the prosperity of the news program.

Bilton's career, which includes investigative work at Vanity Fair as well as writing and producing documentaries, has largely existed in print. He has not worked in broadcast journalism, nor led a newsroom.

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The segment at the center of Alfonsi's reported comments, "Inside CECOT," examined the infamous anti-terrorism prison in El Salvador. Human rights groups condemned the maximum-security facility for its dangerous conditions, and the prison has served as a symbol in President Donald Trump's controversial immigration enforcement.

A CBS spokesperson said the story was halted because it needed additional reporting. The segment eventually aired on Jan. 18 with added comments from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, details of the criminal records of those deported, and additional reporting on one with tattoos, the network said in a statement shared with USA TODAY.

Alfonsi, 53, said in an email to multiple news outlets, including Reuters, that she learned that CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss cut the segment not because of an editorial decision but "a political one."

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The Israeli police is operating a special department in the occupied West Bank to monitor foreign journalists who wish to enter Israel or the occupied Palestinian territory.

According to a report by Haaretz on Tuesday, the special police department works closely with Israel's Population and Immigration Authority, which is stationed at international crossings as well as the Allenby Bridge Crossing in the West Bank.

Haaretz obtained a police document detailing articles and social media activity by Alessandro Stefanelli, an Italian freelance journalist, who entered Israel and the West Bank several times in the past.

The police deemed Stefanelli critical of Israel, branding him "a journalist and photographer who provides one-sided coverage of Israel".

In July last year, the Italian journalist was informed that his visa to Israel had been revoked, with the Israeli embassy in Rome not providing any explanation as to why his visa was cancelled.

Despite this, Stefanelli tried to enter the West Bank through the Allenby Bridge Crossing, which connects the Palestinian territory to Jordan, but was denied entry by the Population and Immigration Authority.

Stefanelli "calls for international intervention against 'settler violence' and draws a one-sided map" a police report said after he filed a petition to an Israeli court to grant him access to Israel and the West Bank, further accusing the journalist of being "in contact with militants".

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Jimmy Kimmel is making sure Stephen Colbert has the spotlight as CBS' "The Late Show" wraps.

The late-night comedian will show his respect for Colbert by not airing a new episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Thursday, May 21, the day of Colbert's final "Late Show," USA TODAY has learned.

The news was first reported by LateNighter. Kimmel told the outlet he isn't going on the air that night out of deference to Colbert. The comic is not otherwise on hiatus from "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" that week, as new episodes are still scheduled for May 18 through May 20 on ABC.

Kimmel made a similar decision in 2015, deciding not to air a new episode opposite David Letterman's final "Late Show" on CBS. "I have too much respect for Dave to do anything that would distract viewers from watching his final show," Kimmel told The New York Times. "Plus, I'll probably be crying all day, which makes it hard to work."

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