It’s not unusual for things to get tense on a Sunday morning news program. Politicians are invited on to discuss critical issues and are often pressed to explain divisive positions. That, naturally, will lead to some discord or, at the very least, debate.

Heck, even the names of the shows — “Face the Nation” and “Meet the Press,” for example — suggest the conversations could get a bit adversarial.

But Sunday’s “State of the Union” on CNN devolved into something way beyond your typical Sunday morning exchange.

CNN moderator Dana Bash talked with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy about, among other things, COVID-19 and vaccines. The Hill called the interview “heated.” Mediate called it a “fiery 22-minute brawl.” The Daily Beast said RFK Jr. “melted down.”

Perhaps Bash put it best when she said something that might sum up the entire interview: “This is not productive.”

The two bickered about COVID, with Kennedy taking aim at Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Then, when asked about future pandemics, Kennedy went after the media, telling Bash, “We need to protect our constitutional rights; that is the primary obligation of our country. During COVID, we completely dismantled our constitutional rights. We began censoring people in violation of the First Amendment.”

Bash tried to keep him on point, saying, “Forgive me, but you’re just — you’re talking about rights, and I’m asking about a potential public health crisis that is coming.”

Kennedy, however, kept on bashing Bash, saying, “You were part of the problem. … There was absolute press malpractice. … You were beating up on people who were dissenting.”

Bash said, “Do you want to sit here and attack me? Or do you want to have conversations about public health?”

Sounding like a petulant child instead of a critical leader of the country, Kennedy said, “Well, you’re sitting here and attacking me.”

Bash said, “I’m not attacking you. I’m asking questions about how to prevent the next pandemic.”

Kennedy oversees the nation’s public health as the country experiences its worst measles outbreak in 35 years. Instead of answering tough questions, Kennedy chose to lose his temper and attack the person asking the questions.

While talking about Kennedy’s prior unproven claims that vaccines can lead to autism, Kennedy said, “You probably don’t understand this because you’re not a scientist.”

To which Bash said, “Well, you’re not either.”

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Bash asked Kennedy, “Even before becoming HHS secretary, for years, you have been one of the leading voices questioning the efficacy of vaccines. Do you accept some responsibility for this measles outbreak?”

Kennedy said, “Absolutely not.”

Bash went on to say, “You’re the most famous vaccine skeptic on the planet.”

Bash’s persistent questioning eventually led Kennedy to say, “I will say it right now, that people — parents — should get their children vaccinated for measles. A measles vaccine is effective. It stops measles in about 97% of the cases. So, people should get vaccinated.”

More arguing followed.

Anyway, you get the gist. The entire interview was like this.

CNN’s Aileen Graef and Katherine Dillinger published a lengthy fact-check article after the interview that dismantled much of what Kennedy said.

They wrote, “In attempting to rewrite the history of the US Covid-19 response, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Sunday pinned the blame for pandemic lockdowns on Dr. Anthony Fauci, while simultaneously reviving a string of debunked assertions about vaccines, RSV and measles.”

After the interview, Dr. Ashish Jha, who served as the White House COVID-19 response coordinator under President Joe Biden from 2022 to 2023, said, “There was a lot of information that Secretary Kennedy said that just isn’t true. It’s just factually not true.”

Meanwhile, the Bash-RFK showdown drew plenty of reaction, with many pointing out just how poorly Kennedy handled what should have been a productive, important national TV appearance.

Bash, however, did her job.

In a statement sent to The Hill on Sunday afternoon, a CNN spokesperson said, “Dana Bash is a veteran journalist who conducted a newsmaking interview with Secretary Kennedy in which he stated that he supports parents getting their children vaccinated against measles and addressed President Trump’s push for further study into autism and vaccines. Asking tough, substantive questions to those in power is the job of every journalist, and Dana did hers incredibly well today. We stand behind Dana, her reporting, and CNN’s overall coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

O’Neal leaving Post

After just one year, Adam O’Neal is stepping down as opinion editor of The Washington Post. O’Neal took over the role in June 2025 after David Shipley resigned in protest after Post owner Jeff Bezos said the paper’s editorial focus would be on two core principles: “personal liberties and free markets.”

In a note to the opinion staff, O’Neal said, “While this was not an easy decision, I am leaving proud of how far the opinion section has come and optimistic that its best days lie ahead.”

O’Neal did not give a reason for his resignation, although it appears to have been his decision.

He also wrote, “I joined The Post to lead the opinion section as it began a new chapter, and we have made dramatic changes over the past year. We quickly embraced our mission of championing free markets and personal liberties while simultaneously putting Post Opinions on a sustainable footing.”

Status’ Natalie Korach wrote that O’Neal had given no indication that he was on his way out of the Post, adding, “In recent private conversations, Status has learned, he struck precisely the opposite tone, sounding triumphant and boasting that he had pushed the paper’s storied opinion section further to the right. People who spoke with O’Neal told Status he appeared energized by his work at the newspaper and were stunned when he abruptly announced his departure.”

Korach also reported that O’Neal told opinion staffers during an all-hands meeting that he was leaving for personal reasons related to his family. Korach wrote, “But his explanation only deepened the confusion inside the section, given how sharply it contrasted with O’Neal’s posture in the days and weeks prior.”

Jeff D’Onofrio, publisher and chief executive of The Post, wrote in a note to staff, “I want to thank him for his leadership and hard work in reimagining the section.”

The Post has not announced a timetable for naming a successor.

The Nancy Guthrie case

The Wall Street Journal published an extensive report over the weekend about the Nancy Guthrie case: “‘How can someone vanish without a trace?’”

It has now been six months since Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her Tucson, Arizona home.

The Journal’s Valerie Bauerlein, Jared Mitovich and Hannah Critchfield wrote this bleak line: “Six months after the Feb. 1 kidnapping, a joint federal-local task force is no closer to finding Nancy or her abductors.”

The story’s subhead says that “investigators have little to show beyond a trail of missteps.” The story details many of those missteps.

The reporters wrote, “Frustration over the stalled case set off finger-pointing by Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel, who had early on promised to lead the charge but has since gone largely silent.”

The FBI would not make Patel available to the Journal, but a spokesperson for the bureau said in a statement, “The state is the lead in this investigation and has always been the lead. The FBI has met every assistance request asked of us, even when requests came late.”

Axios’ Mike Allen wrote on Sunday that “there are no suspects or major leads and the case seems to be stalled, a source close to the investigation tells me.”

Allen added, “The FBI now may face pressure to take a bigger role, the source told me.”

The Journal chronicles what has transpired so far in a case that appears nowhere close to being solved.

A bad offseason

Tony Romo, attending an NBA game in 2013. (AP Photo/Sam Hodde)

Last week was not a good one for Tony Romo, the lead NFL game analyst for CBS.

Romo was arrested on suspicion of operating while intoxicated last week in Milwaukee, where he was visiting family and playing in a golf tournament. After police video of his arrest became public, CBS announced that Romo was on leave until further notice. While CBS did not say how long the leave might last, it did take the telling step of moving former NFL star J.J. Watt up to its top announcing team with Jim Nantz.

The question now is whether Romo is done at CBS. If he does keep his job, will he still hold on to the coveted position of top NFL analyst? Romo still has four years left on a 10-year, $180-million contract.

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand wrote, “Romo’s contract calls for him to receive a nearly implausible $72 million over the next four years, but he is going to have to make quite a case to get his top job back. It’s not impossible, but it is going to take some work.”

The opening Sunday of the NFL season is Sept. 13. Romo has a scheduled court appearance on Sept. 27.

There’s also something else at play here. After a spectacular start to his broadcasting career, when he earned almost universal praise, Romo has come under criticism in recent seasons from those who believe his performance has slipped. While I remain a big fan of Romo’s work, more than a few critics have questioned Romo’s preparedness and said he relies more on style than substance. Could CBS use this latest mess as a reason to move on from Romo?

Marchand wrote, “Like all on-air TV contracts, Romo’s deal includes a morals clause, one that networks can challenge if a star is unable to represent their brand in a positive fashion after a public embarrassment. If Romo were still working at a John Madden-like level, his case to keep his job would be stronger. Since he was already trending the wrong way, he has some work to do.”

Media tidbits

• The Guardian’s Jeremy Barr with “Trump’s favorite cable news channel is pushing back against his war on Iran.”
• Mediaite’s Sean James with “MS NOW’s Jacob Soboroff Disgusted by ‘Racist’ Slurs Used by Immigration Agents: ‘We Normally Don’t Say It On Television …’”’
• “CBS News Sunday Morning” and correspondent Robert Costa with “Resistance grows nationwide against AI data center boom.”
• For The New York Times Magazine, Jonathan Mahler, Jim Rutenberg and Kirsten Grind with “Larry Ellison Bet It All on the A.I. Boom. Will He Be the Face of the A.I. Bubble?”
• And here is “Five Takeaways From the Times Investigation Into Larry Ellison’s A.I. Gamble.”
• The Harvard Gazette with “Henry Chu named curator of Nieman Foundation for Journalism.” The veteran foreign correspondent has been interim leader since former curator Ann Marie Lipinski stepped down in July 2025.

Hot type

• The New York Times’ Ginia Bellafante with “A Self-Help Influencer With Troubles of Her Own.”
• New Yorker editor David Remnick with this “Letter from Israel”: “How Netanyahu’s Top General Became His Strongest Challenger.”

More resources for journalists

• Learn how to report on the impact of incarceration on children, parents, guardians, and communities. Enroll now.
• Transform your editing with our five-week course designed for new editors: Edit to Elevate. Starts on Mon. Aug. 31, then each Wed. Sept. 2-Sept. 30 2026. Enroll now.
• Join a prestigious, fully funded Poynter fellowship on brain health & research that gives journalists rare access to leading experts, personalized coaching and advanced training. Apply today.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.

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