Mediaite One Sheet: Minneapolis Retreat, CBS All Hands, WaPo Crumbling

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The Big Picture

The Minneapolis story turned in a massive way on Monday. Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino was demoted and is leaving Minnesota. Tom Homan is taking over, reporting directly to Trump. Kristi Noem spent two hours in the Oval Office; her job status is unclear. Trump called Governor Tim Walz and said they’re on “the same wavelength.” A partial government shutdown looms Friday — Punchbowl reports House Republicans can’t pass another DHS funding bill. Elsewhere: Washington Post staffers are pleading for Jeff Bezos to intervene as layoffs approach, and Bari Weiss announced new CBS contributors.

Today’s sources: Status | The Bulwark | Axios | The Free Press | Poynter | CJR | Nieman Lab | Semafor | Puck | The Desk | Press Watch | Feed Me | NewsBusters | Hollywood Reporter | The Atlantic | CNN | Simon Owens | Politico Playbook | Punchbowl News

Top Story

THE RETREAT: HOW THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LOST A WEEKEND

The administration retreated Monday from the position it staked out over the weekend.

Politico Playbook framed Kristi Noem’s sidelining as “nothing short of a public humiliation.” Greg Bovino — whose military-style coat and combative press conferences became the visual signature of the Minneapolis operation — was stripped of his “commander at large” title. The Atlantic’s Nick Miroff reported Bovino will return to his former post in El Centro, California, where he’s expected to retire…

CNN reports DHS suspended Bovino’s access to his social media accounts effective immediately. He had used X to troll critics, share mugshots of arrested immigrants, and publicize his cable news appearances. Over the weekend, he was still scrapping with lawmakers online, accusing Alex Pretti of assaulting officers — a claim the video doesn’t support. They didn’t just sideline him operationally. They took away his megaphone…

Politico’s Dasha Burns noted the tactical shift on Fox & Friends Monday morning, citing CNN’s Brian Stelter: Brian Kilmeade “repeatedly called for Homan to be sent to Minneapolis throughout the course of the show. Homan was deployed 20 minutes later.” Stelter added that Maria Bartiromo’s weekend criticism was key to Trump’s thinking…

The Free Press — Bari Weiss’s outlet — ran an editorial headlined “Kristi Noem’s Reckless Lies.” It said the administration’s claims about Alex Pretti “brandishing” a firearm don’t match the video: “The problem for her and the president she serves is that there are multiple videos of the attack that show something different”…

Status documented the Murdoch empire’s break from the administration line. The WSJ editorial board called Minneapolis a “moral and political debacle.” The NY Post urged “de-escalation.” Jesse Watters said Trump “can’t stand in the ring forever.” Sean Hannity told him to stop “going into Home Depots”…

The Bulwark’s Will Sommer surveyed conservative media’s response and found an “almost universal decision among MAGA pundits not to grapple seriously” with the footage. Alex Jones claimed Pretti “in final spasms reached for empty holster.” Liz Wheeler suggested protesters could be killed for “impeding traffic.” But the spin isn’t working: “People have cell phones… human beings with functioning eyes can watch that footage”…

NewsBusters took a different tack — attacking the network coverage rather than defending the shootings. Their Daily newsletter criticized questions from Kristen Welker, Margaret Brennan, and Abby Phillip as hostile to administration officials. They also noted networks devoted airtime to anti-ICE protests while skipping March for Life coverage. Notably, NewsBusters didn’t attempt to justify the shootings directly…

By Monday evening, Trump was on the phone with Governor Walz. On Truth Social, he wrote: “It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength.”

QUICK TAKE: When conservative stalwarts like the WSJ editorial board, the Free Press, and Fox hosts are all telling Trump to back down — and he does — that’s not spin. That’s a loss. The question is whether it’s a temporary tactical retreat or the beginning of a genuine policy shift.

Three Takes

THE WASHINGTON POST IS FALLING APART

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Note — a previous version did not include accurate citation to CNN’s Brian Stelter for his Kilmeade repotring. That has been corrected.

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