CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is reportedly exploring the idea of bringing Fox News anchor Bret Baier to lead the CBS Evening News, according to multiple network sources. Weiss, who took charge after David Ellison acquired CBS, has begun a broad restructuring of the newsroom, demanding detailed staff memos ahead of expected layoffs and taking a direct hand in booking and coverage decisions. Among her initiatives was a planned feature involving her sister, Suzy Weiss, co-founder of The Free Press.

Sources told Status’s Oliver Darcy that Weiss has been quietly evaluating both internal and external candidates for CBS’s flagship evening broadcast. While current anchors Norah O’Donnell and Tony Dokoupil remain in contention, Weiss has expressed particular interest in Baier, one of Fox News’s most respected journalists. However, Baier, who earns roughly $14 million annually, renewed his Fox contract in 2023, extending it through 2028—making a move to CBS highly improbable. This is not Weiss’s first attempt to recruit a Fox personality; she previously sought to include Mike Pompeo, a Fox News contributor, in a CBS panel featuring former secretaries of state, though Fox ultimately blocked his participation.

Weiss’s appointment as CBS News editor-in-chief, following Paramount’s acquisition of The Free Press, has divided staff and industry observers. Critics cite her limited broadcast experience and her outspoken views, particularly her pro-Israel stance. A CBS insider described the newsroom’s tension as split between younger, more progressive employees and older staff nostalgic for the Walter Cronkite era. Still, many within the network see Weiss’s leadership as a needed shake-up. “We probably needed a course correction,” one insider said, noting CBS’s consistent third-place ratings behind ABC and NBC. “As a third-place network, you’d think we’d be open to new ideas.”