NewsBusters reports that CBS Mornings on November 5 framed the Democrats' midterm wins as the return of bipartisanship. Analyst Nicholas Spinnato wrote that CBS “could not hide its excitement over Democrat wins on Thursday,” with Norah O’Donnell and Ed O’Keefe claiming the results would bring back bipartisanship. The transcript NewsBusters reproduced shows the same broadcast previewing the investigations Democrats plan to run.
According to NewsBusters, Thursday's show followed five hours of celebratory programming on Wednesday that included soft interviews with Democrats. Chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes opened Thursday with a long report on the fallout inside the Republican Party, including messages from Vice President JD Vance, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. She then turned to what Democrats would do with their new majorities.
In a clip CBS aired, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “There has to be some investigations. But we are not going to take our eye off the ball.” In the transcript, he added that the first priorities were reducing costs and ending corruption. Cordes then said some Democrats are pushing for high-profile probes into deadly ICE operations, the Trump family's financial dealings and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's handling of the war, according to NewsBusters. The segment played Colorado Rep. Jason Crow calling for a Hegseth investigation.
Cordes then presented Adam Hamilton, whom CBS called the Kansas senator-elect, as a moderate who worries that too many investigations could be a distraction, NewsBusters reports. Spinnato wrote that CBS has pushed Hamilton as a moderate who would resist retribution against the Trump administration. Right after the roundup, O'Keefe weighed what Democratic power in the Senate might mean for voters who oppose President Trump's policies, then suggested the results could lead to more bipartisan work.
O'Donnell replied that maybe bipartisanship would start to reign in Washington, and O'Keefe joked that God forbid, according to the transcript. Spinnato asked whether CBS or O'Donnell ever celebrated bipartisanship when Republicans held the majority and Democrats largely refused to work with them. He concluded that the media sees bipartisanship as viable only when Democrats hold power.
CBS's own description of the segment says Democrats prepare to take control of Congress “after crushing victories.” The same broadcast that promised bipartisanship was previewing the investigations. The video page lists the segment alongside interviews on the Democrats' top priority and their Senate wins.
