Bari Weiss

Editor-in-Chief @thefp and @CBSNews
Host of @thehonestlypod
Founder of @nelliebowles fan club

[Bari Weiss @bariweiss]

From day one, the promise—and the business proposition—of @TheFP was simple: We would marry the quality of the old world to the freedom of the new. We would seek the truth and tell it plainly. And we would treat readers like adults capable of making their own choices.

So many people told us this was no longer possible. That the premise of a media company built on trust rather than partisanship was, at best, a relic from the past—and, at worst, a fantasy that never was. That the internet killed journalism. That there simply weren’t enough Americans out there in search of media driven by honesty, independence, and integrity.

Our readers proved them wrong. Our subscribers demonstrated that there’s a market for honest journalism. And they’ve given us a mandate to pursue that mission from an even bigger platform.

https://t.co/lYheA8ePl2

[Maya Sulkin @SulkinMaya]

Thank you for having me! @jaketapper @TheLeadCNN

We discussed my latest story about a 14 year old radicalized by Islamic extremists online, what explains the broader uptick in political violence the country is facing, and what makes young people vulnerable to indoctrination:

[Margaret Brennan @margbrennan]

Significant attack on Kyiv underway per CBS
@aidan_stretch. He reports 8 ballistic missile impacts in the last 10 minutes, with some Kyiv residents reporting power outages to CBS News.

[Oliver Wiseman @ollywiseman]

Today from @TheFP:

- @nickgillespie superstar understudy for @NellieBowles on TGIF
- @CharlesFLehman investigates one of the most important good-news stories in the country
- @AlexBerenson says: ditch the Whoop and drink the wine!
- An IVF doc argues that business is booming because Ob-Gyns aren't doing their jobs.

In your inbox every day, with the click of a button!

https://t.co/1g3dm83XE8

[Axios @axios]

New "60 Minutes" executive producer plans to expand the show's reach across more days and platforms https://t.co/5C7tYcoIGu

[Aaron MacLean @AaronBMacLean]

Big get! And what a letter…

[Bari Weiss @bariweiss]

Nick Bilton is one of the most entrepreneurial and ambitious journalists working today. I am thrilled that he is the next executive producer of 60 Minutes. His note here:

[Nick Bilton @nickbilton]

It's the honor of my career to become the executive producer of 60 Minutes. I just shared the note below with the incredible staff and can't wait to get started.

[Anna Schecter @annaschecter]

With the brilliant brave @AlinejadMasih @CBSNews

[nicole ruiz @nwilliams030]

" Every single day of my childhood, my parents asked the same question at dinner. Not “What did you learn?” but “Who did you serve?” "

Excellent piece by Alex Sasse, @BenSasse 's eldest daughter, one what she learned from her father

[Caitlin Huey-Burns @CHueyBurns]

This is really lovely, and I hope my kids feel this way about me one day: https://t.co/xppmusFESn

[Bari Weiss @bariweiss]

This afternoon, @TheFP announced Supper Clubs. Nearly 500 people have signed up in three hours. And we're adding cities to meet demand. Atlanta, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Nashville, and Philadelphia: you’re next.

Check it all out here:

https://t.co/ejEmbSFELn

[The Free Press @TheFP]

You came for the journalism. You stayed for the community.

Today, we’re launching something new: The Free Press Community—including a Supper Club, Retreat, digital Forum, and more, all designed to bring independent minds together online and in real life.

Think for yourself, not by yourself.

[Oliver Wiseman @ollywiseman]

If you took the sensible step of logging off over Memorial Day weekend, you will have missed @SeanTrende's beautiful essay about his son Judson.

Read it today:

https://t.co/rBQHPCDPN2

[Oliver Wiseman @ollywiseman]

Today from @TheFP:

- @Doranimated lifts the lid on Trump's Iran plan
- @arthurbrooks's guide to giving a commencement speech
- @AaronBMacLean talks to Jake Sullivan about the state of the world, and his party
- @Olivia_Reingold on the Texas Democrat who wants interment camps for 'Zionists.' could she win?
- Victory for the Harvard professor who fought a 50-year crusade against grade inflation. @NoviZhukovsky talks to Harvey 'C-Minus' Mansfield
- @rupasubramanya talks to @coldxman about her reporting on the rise in assisted suicide around the world.

All that and more. Subscribe!

https://t.co/1g3dm83XE8

[Alex Ward @alexbward]

Lincoln’s letter to Mrs. Bixby, always worth a read on Memorial Day

[Dan Senor @dansenor]

As we remember and honor the fallen military personnel from America’s wars, please take a few moments to read this powerful piece by @AaronBMacLean @thefp https://t.co/2cNZjG6PGh

[Jennifer Jacobs @JenniferJJacobs]

Scoop via @CBSNews: U.S. intelligence shows that Iran's supreme leader is effectively holed up in an undisclosed location with little access to the outside world and is only reached by a labyrinth of couriers, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter. 
https://t.co/U1QGhoOrxP

[Jennifer Jacobs @JenniferJJacobs]

NEW: Trump and Netanyahu spoke about Iran negotiations. Trump said he's insisting on dismantling the Iranian nuclear program and removing the enriched uranium from its territory, and that he won't sign a final agreement without these conditions. The prime minister said Israel will maintain freedom of action against all threats, including Lebanon, whether this draft agreement is signed or not. @CBSNews
https://t.co/tG0YNRsswF

[Chris Livesay @SayChrisLive]

Special thanks to @AaronBMacLean, my secret weapon in this chilling story about…secret weapons.

[Greg Lukianoff @glukianoff]

Larry Bushart spent 37 days in jail for posting a meme on Facebook.

I’ve been doing this work for 25 years, and I can honestly say this is the worst First Amendment case I’ve ever seen.

Not because Larry threatened anyone. He didn’t. Not because he committed violence. He didn’t. Not because this was a close call. It wasn’t.

He posted a political meme — the kind of thing millions of Americans do every day — and local officials decided to treat it like a crime.

And because they had badges, prosecutors, jail cells, and the terrifying machinery of the state behind them, they got away with it for 37 days.

Larry is a retired police officer and National Guard veteran. The meme he shared quoted Donald Trump’s “we have to get over it” comment after a 2024 Iowa school shooting. Whatever you think of Trump, the meme was plainly political commentary. Perry County officials knew what it referred to. They knew it wasn’t a threat against a Tennessee school.

They arrested him anyway.

In the middle of the night.

They set his bond at $2 million.

He lost his job. He missed family milestones. He sat in jail for more than a month before the charges finally collapsed — because, of course, there was no crime here.

Today, @theFIREorg secured a measure of justice: Perry County agreed to pay Larry Bushart $835,000 for violating his constitutional rights.

This case should scare the hell out of people across the political spectrum.

Because if the government can jail you for a meme by pretending not to understand obvious political commentary, your rights are only as secure as the good faith of the most authoritarian official in your town.

That is exactly why we have the First Amendment. Not for speech everyone likes. Not for opinions that flatter the powerful. Not for the bland, safe, committee-approved stuff.

It exists for moments when fear, outrage, politics, and authority all line up and say: “Surely this is the exception.”

No. It isn’t.

I’m incredibly proud of @theFIREorg’s legal team. And I’m even prouder of Larry Bushart for refusing to let the government get away with treating his constitutional rights like a suggestion.

But despite the correct verdict, I'll probably always get angry every time I think of this case.

Let’s make this the last time anyone in America is arrested — let alone thrown in jail — for a meme.

Celebrate your independence. Defend your First Amendment.

https://t.co/7ADQTxeHsL

[Jake Sherman @JakeSherman]

I had to read this to make sure it was real. It is real.