CBS News' "Face the Nation" will no longer edit taped interviews after U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem complained about how her remarks were cut in her last appearance on the Washington-based program. The news division said Friday that the Sunday show moderated by Margaret Brennan will only present interviews live or "live to tape" in which no edits are made. ...

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem looks on as President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on April 9, 2025, in Washington, D.C..

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

CBS News' "Face the Nation" will no longer edit taped interviews after U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem complained about how her remarks were cut in her last appearance on the Washington-based program.

The news division said Friday that the Sunday show moderated by Margaret Brennan will only present interviews live or "live to tape" in which no edits are made. Exceptions will be made when classified national security information is inadvertently stated or language is used that violates Federal Communications Commission broadcast standards.

"In response to audience feedback over the past week, we have implemented a new policy for greater transparency in our interviews," a CBS News representative said in a statement. "This extra measure means the television audience will see the full, unedited interview on CBS and we will continue our practice of posting full transcripts and the unedited video online."

The representative declined to comment on the reason for the policy beyond the statement.

But the timing makes it clear that CBS News is reacting to Noem's complaints following her Sunday appearance in which she discussed the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man wrongly deported to his native El Salvador. He was returned to the U.S., where he faces deportation efforts.

Noem wrote on X that "CBS shamefully edited the interview to whitewash the truth about this MS-13 gang member and the threat he poses to American public safety."

The comments cut from the "Face the Nation" appearance were potentially defamatory. Noem said that Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13 and that he solicited nude photos from minors.

"Even his fellow human traffickers told him to knock it off, he was so sick in what he was doing and how he was treating small children," Noem said in the unedited version of the interview she posted on X.

The government has accused Abrego Garcia of being a member of MS-13, which he has denied. A court has described the evidence of his connection as "insufficient."

"Face the Nation," which has been on the air since 1954, became the focal point in a legal battle between CBS News and President Donald Trump last year. Trump sued CBS News for $20 billion, claiming the program deceptively edited a "60 Minutes" interview with his 2024 opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

"Face the Nation" ran a clip from the interview that differed from what appeared in the "60 Minutes" broadcast, which led Trump to claim that it was changed to aid Harris and damage his election chances.

Editing interviews for clarity and time restrictions of a broadcast is a common practice in TV news. While First Amendment experts said CBS News had done nothing wrong, parent company Paramount settled the case for $16 million to help clear the regulatory hurdles for its merger with Skydance Media. The merger was completed Aug. 7.

The policy change regarding live interviews will likely be seen as another capitulation to Trump administration, who has shown a willingness to use legal measures to punish or attempt to silence his critics in the media. It will also pose a challenge to "Face the Nation" producers who already operate in an environment where real-time fact checking can't always keep up with the misinformation presented by guests on the program.

CBS News is expecting additional changes as Skydance is in serious talks to acquire the Free Press, the right-leaning web-based media company founded by former New York Times opinion writer Bari Weiss.

The deal is said to be nearing completion, according to people familiar with the discussions, and would include a prominent role for Weiss at CBS News, even though she has no experience in running a TV news organization.