According to a report in POLITICO, CNBC has ended its weekend international show World Business, after a blog claimed the show’s independent producers, FBC Media, had a contract designed to boost the image of Malaysian politicians. FBC, a London-based production company, reportedly produced “puff pieces” as a part of the contract. “In light of serious questions raised last week, CNBC immediately initiated an examination of FBC and its business practices and has withdrawn the program World Business indefinitely,” Brian Steel, senior vice president of media relations at CNBC, told POLITICO.

The opinion news media (and, ahem, those who cover it) have experienced something of a love/hate relationship to the debt crisis. On the one hand, it’s nearly impossible to create engaging, insightful commentary on the fact that something is still not happening. But, then again, the opinion news machine is nothing if not creative in what it elects to report on and the narratives spun out of these headlines. So let’s take a moment and analyze those in the media who came out on top in their coverage of the debt discussions, be that coverage straightforward reporting or subjective analysis, and those who dropped the ball somewhere along the way.

On CNBC’s Squawk Box this morning, John Harwood seemed both far too tired to engage in jokes comparing members of the Tea Party to “terrorists” and quite convinced that voters, before too long, will forget the debt deal that will likely go to President Obama today. “It will be forgotten by voters pretty quickly,” said Harwood. “Everybody took a hit. It was not good for President Obama. It wasn’t good for John Boehner. But at the end of the day, they got something done. Remember, John Boehner knew as soon as he became Speaker after the election that this issue in particular was going to be like waterboarding for him. Because he–you had the impulses of his newly elected members and many conservatives in his caucus, everybody in Congress hates the debt ceiling. Everyone. But he knew that it had to pass eventually.”

In an interview on CNBC this morning, Donald Trump described the weekend debt deal as “a joke” that ultimately doesn’t solve the nation’s economic problems. Trump told Squawk Box‘s Joe Kernan “eventually you have to balance the budget, and this is a long way from balancing the budget, it’s a joke. It’s a down payment at best.” Trump said President Obama did get something “that was fantastic…because he got the deal past the election…the fact is, if this were going on sometime prior to the election, he would have zero chance of re-election.”

In an interview with Adweek‘s Brian Braiker, CNN managing editor Mark Whitaker describes his vision for the future of the news network. Simply put, it’s not just about breaking news, but it will probably look a lot like Anderson Cooper. “I think we’re in a day and age when you can have all the qualities of a great journalist but have a human side as well, and even a sense of humor. In many ways Anderson Cooper is the model that we increasingly are going to, not that everyone has to be Anderson Cooper.”

The former CNBC anchor Erin Burnett made her debut on CNN last night, appearing with Wolf Blitzer in the hour leading up to President Obama‘s speech to the nation on the debt ceiling impasse. After a welcome to “CNN’s newest anchor” (Burnett’s as yet untitled show will premiere in the 7 p.m. timeslot in September), Burnett got right down to breaking some news. Asked about the differences between plans advanced by Democrats and Republicans, Burnett said “in the short term, either deal probably will be enough, although really interesting this afternoon, Wolf, when I was talking to an investor who had met with the ratings agency Standard & Poor’s, talking about the potential of a downgrade– which, by the way, could raise interest rates, just the same way a potential default could–and they said the Boehner plan probably wouldn’t hit the hurdle to prevent a downgrade.”

On this morning’s edition of CNBC’s Squawk Box, discussion turned to the News of the World phone hacking scandal that has embroiled News Corp. when host Joe Kernen took an interesting tack. His claim: that some on the left see a culture of corruption infesting other News Corp. entities. In Kernen’s view, “liberals think that [...]

CNBC is reporting tonight that News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch–who’s due to testify in the News of the World phone hacking scandal before the British Parliament Tuesday–is “considering” stepping down as the company’s CEO. He would be replaced, CNBC reports, by COO Chase Carey.

Bloomberg, citing individuals “with knowledge of the situation” describes the elevation of Carey as something News Corp., not Murdoch, is considering.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, in an exclusive interview with CNBC Monday, said he is certain congressional leaders will strike a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling and that “default is not an option.” Geithner dismissed speculation he intended to step down, and focused his comments on the debt negotiations, insisting that both sides see the danger in failing to reach an agreement before August 2. “They’re not going to play around with this.”

CNBC announced today that New York Times financial columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin is taking over as co-host of the program Squawk Box. An internal memo sent out to CNBC staff explained that Sorkin is replacing former co-host Carl Quintanilla, who left the program earlier this week for the network’s morning show Squawk on the Street, [...]

The overseas scandal that brought down News Corp.’s News of the World tabloid is doing significant damage to the company’s bottom line back home in the U.S. CNBC reports Rupert Murdoch‘s media empire has lost $18 billion to “reputational damage” and as CNBC’s Kayla Tausche reports this morning, “the bleeding of course at News Corp. continues.” In a morning segment called “Empire Under Attack,” Tausche outlined that the the Murdoch-owned Times and Sun have seen their Sunday circulations drop–as competitors have gained. “Those readers are moving away from Murdoch’s papers.”

General Murdoch appears to have ordered his British troops to retreat. Sky News reports this morning Rupert Murdoch has abandoned his long-planned $12 billion bid to takeover British Sky Broadcasting, known in the U.K. as BSkyB. The decision comes as the British parliament was set to pass a resolution calling on Murdoch to withdraw his bid for a full takeover of the company–Murdoch’s News Corp. already owns 39 percent of BSkyB.

Universally respected super-rich Midwestern gentleman Warren Buffett recently sat down for an interview with CNBC’s Becky Quick reporting from the all-powerful mogul retreat in Sun Valley, Idaho. Buffett was asked to opine on the current deficit crisis and debt ceiling conversation/quarrel/tantrum currently on the minds of politicians and media types alike, and provided a level-headed and reasonably bi-partisan assessment. The money quote? He could end this in five minutes.

June unemployment figures released this morning show unemployment rose to 9.2 percent, the highest rate since December, and analysts on CNBC were blunt: “any way you cut this data, it’s lousy.” The jobs data left the CNBC panel “stunned” and, as Rick Santelli described it, “we’re somewhere between a soft patch and a double dip.” The report dampened expectations many had about the recovery, and raised the possibility of a push for more stimulus to spur growth–and hiring.

The banner at the start of the CNBC segment reads “What’s the Deal?” And that’s a question some viewers may have asked by the end of the segment after watching CNBC’s Rick Santelli go grandma-punching crazy in a segment about spending and the debt ceiling. “I don’t believe in compromise on spending,” Santelli shouted. “There’s no compromise. Stop spending.” And from there it got weirder. Referring to a comment from Warren Buffet about the debt ceiling negotiations referring to the negotiations as a game of Russian roulette, Santelli said “there’s a bullet in the gun. If we keep spending, for sure we’re going to hit something and it’s going to bleed!

CNBC has been covering the market impacts of the Greek parliament’s vote on austerity measures intended to avoid a disastrous default for the Greek economy–but which has sparked massive protests. The network’s Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, who’s been watching the protests from a rooftop overlooking Parliament, revealed Wednesday she’s somewhat less affected by teargas than most journalists, reporting in the face of police teargas in only a pair of plastic goggles, rather than a gasmask. “I’m less affected by the tear gas. Just my eyes bother me. But that is why I’m wearing them. Everybody on the ground has them for sure. It wafts up, when there’s a lot of it, it seeps into the hotel rooms and causes you to throw up and is extremely painful. You can feel it go all the way down your esophagus.”

Eric Bolling is not afraid to show his enthusiasm. His judgment, however, on what, when and where are the most appropriate times to share his enthusiasm is questionable at best. Take for example his recent comment on his personal Twitter feed that celebrated his current standing on the Mediaite Power Grid compared to the standing of the recently departed CNBC host Mark Haines. In fairness, he did qualify the comment with “no disrespect mean to his old friend…” So, at least there is that.

Rep. Ron Paul finally feels like he’s family. The perennial presidential candidate tells CNBC his days as a GOP outsider are over. “I finally feel like a Republican,” Paul said in an interview on Squawk Box. The conversation about markets, entitlements and money turned to politics when Squawk Box anchor Joe Kernan asked Paul what it would take for him to become “more mainstream” and to appeal to enough Republicans to have a “viable chance” to win the GOP nomination. Paul said “I happen to think I’m mainstream.”

Paul said issues like balancing the budget have become mainstream issues, and “compared to four years ago, it’s incredibly different for me, because people are moving to the position of being mainstream.” Paul argued that his support among voters might be stronger now than Bill Clinton‘s was at this time in the 92 campaign.

CNBC anchor Mark Haines has died, the network said Wednesday morning. Haines, who was 65, had long been one of the people most identified with the business network, serving as host of Squawk on the Street. Haines joined CNBC in 1989.

The cause of death has not been announced.

International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn appeared in a New York criminal court Monday, where a judge ordered him held without bail at least until his next court hearing on charges he sexually assaulted a chamber maid at a Manhattan hotel.

The Wall Street Journal reports “Mr. Strauss-Kahn, 62 years old, appeared briefly, sitting in a holding pen where defendants wait to be called for arraignment but was then removed. It was unclear why he was taken away.”

Who says business news isn’t feisty and unpredictable? On a massive biz news day, with hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam found guilty on 14 counts of securities fraud and conspiracy in federal court, CNBC sent a reporter to track down Rajaratnam’s lawyer as he left court in Manhattan, with plenty of questions about his client and the case. Attorney John Dowd, however, had nothing to say. Or, more accurately, nothing nice to say.

“Get the f–k out of here,” Dowd says as a CNBC camera rolls. When he’s asked directly if he has anything to say to CNBC, Dowd raises his middle finger and says “that’s what I’ve got for CNBC.”

This morning, Squawk on the Street‘s Erin Burnett bid adieu to her CNBC viewers and there was likely not a dry eye in the studio as the business news vet was given a heartfelt send-off by her longtime co-host, Mark Haines. Next month sees Burnett moving on to CNN, where she’ll appear in a yet-unannounced timeslot. “Coming to work for the last 5 1/2 years,” said Haines, holding onto Burnett’s hand, “has been an absolute joy. You are the best. The absolute best. We wish you the best of luck. We’re going to miss you a lot.”

CNN president Jim Walton has announced the hiring of CNBC’s Erin Burnett as anchor and chief business and economics correspondent. She joins the network in June. “Erin Burnett is a talented journalist and her perspective will add meaningfully to CNN’s coverage of the top national and international news stories we cover each day,” said Walton in a statement. “Erin is the kind of all-star player that knows how to connect-the-dots and translate events into relevant information for viewers.”

As The New York Times reported, it was a banner year for G.E.–$14.2 billion in worldwide profits last year, including $5.1 billion in the United States, and a federal tax bill of exactly zero dollars. Pretty interesting story, and it’s sparked a lot of debate (even a Twitter feud between G.E. and The Times), but somehow it didn’t quite fit the bill when the folks at NBC News sat down to pick stories for the network’s flagship newscast, NBC Nightly News.

Human beings are strange, unique creatures whose reactions to tragedy can be unpredictable.The same can also be said of CNBC host Larry Kudlow, who waxed optimistic about the catastrophic earthquake/tsunami in Japan on Friday’s edition of The Call. Even as horrific scenes of devastation unfolded in the aftermath of Japan’s 8.9 earthquake and 23-foot tsunami, Kudlow found the silver lining: no markets were harmed in the making of this disaster.