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Geopolitical · Geopolitical

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CBS staff accuse network of ‘overt racism’ over Abdul El-Sayed 9/11 story

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CBS staff accuse network of ‘overt racism’ over Abdul El-Sayed 9/11 story Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 09/01/2026 - 18:37 Staffers have pushed back against CBS's decision to revive years-old deleted posts by the Muslim Senate candidate and foreground 9/11 in its coverage US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during the Michigan Democratic Party General Election Kickoff Rally at Renaissance High School in Detroit, Michigan, on 7 August 2026 (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP) Off CBS News is facing internal backlash over its coverage of Muslim US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, with current and former staffers accusing the network of poor journalism and “overt” racism. The controversy erupted after CBS published a story highlighting old social media posts by El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11. El-Sayed, who could become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate, had deleted posts in which he compared the mounting Covid-19 death toll with the nearly 3,000 people killed on 11 September 2001 and called for Washington to mobilise against poverty and the pandemic as it had after the attacks. “We could save lives rather than take them,” he wrote. Another post mourned those killed on 9/11 as well as those killed during the wars that followed. Yet CBS framed the posts as potentially exposing El-Sayed to “renewed scrutiny and fresh political attack”, while describing him as part of a political movement that “capitalised on anger over anti-Arab sentiment”. Deranged, fanatically pro-Israel operative aggressively intervened in CBS News coverage to smear Muslim Senate candidate https://t. co/jLGN2oKYqC — Borzou Daragahi 🖊🗒 (@borzou) September 1, 2026 According to media newsletter Status, CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss personally pushed for the headline to explicitly reference 9/11. Senior staffers subsequently raised concerns with the network’s standards department. “They took a small nugget of news, forced it into something much larger, and messed up,” one CBS staffer told Status. A former senior employee called the story “shameful”, adding that “the racism is overt”. Bari Weiss personally directed CBS to tweak its headline so it slaps “Sept. pic. 11” next to Abdul El-Sayed. This isn’t journalism. It’s a coordinated smear. twitter. com/Ozqy8pFtX2 — 𝓙𝓲𝓶𝓶𝔂 𝓙 (@JimmyJ4thewin) September 1, 2026 A campaign marked by anti-Muslim smears The CBS report comes after months of increasingly hostile attacks on El-Sayed, whose Muslim and Arab identity has repeatedly been invoked by political opponents during his Senate campaign. El-Sayed overcame more than $30m in spending by an Aipac-linked super Pac backing his Democratic primary rival. Following his victory, Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville said Democrats had “voted to send a terrorist to the Senate” and called El-Sayed a “radical Islamist”, while Republican Representative Nancy Mace claimed that “every single Muslim holding public office in America is a Trojan horse” and a threat to national security. CBS/Bari Weiss joins GOP Rep Randy Fine's war on erasing Muslims from American politics. That is how I view the goal of tying Abdul El Sayed to 9/11. pic. It's despicable. twitter. com/h8bdsWcYGu — (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) August 31, 2026 A source familiar with the editing process defended the report to the Daily Beast, saying CBS routinely covers politicians who delete old social media posts and arguing that Weiss’s intervention improved the headline. Middle East Eye has reached out to Bari Weiss and the CBS Network for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication. US Politics Trending Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:29 Update Date Override 0

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

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Israel-Greece air defence deal to be 'scaled up' with UAE as contender, sources say

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Israel-Greece air defence deal to be 'scaled up' with UAE as contender, sources say Submitted by Sean Mathews on Tue, 09/01/2026 - 19:49 The UAE, which operates a range of air-defence batteries, is being discussed as the next export market for a layered system A battery of Israel's Iron Dome air defence system deployed near Gaza, on 17 April 2024 (Jack Guez/AFP) Off Israel plans to “scale up” the export of the layered air-defence system it sold to Greece, with the UAE as its desired buyer, one current and one former US official familiar with ongoing discussions told Middle East Eye. Talks between Israel and the UAE, taking place alongside the US, are focused on how Israel can address a gap in the Emirates’ “layered defence” capabilities, the current US official told MEE. Israel’s $3.5bn sale to Greece on Monday is being described as a model for how it can export its systems and design to other partners. “This is a profit machine for Israel that they are looking to scale up,” the former US official familiar with the matter told MEE. “Israel’s layered air defence systems are cheaper and more exportable than ours [the US’s],” they added. The UAE is a prime candidate because it already cooperates on defence with Israel. The US said that Israel deployed Iron Dome missile defence batteries and technicians to the UAE during the height of fighting with Iran earlier this year. The Financial Times reported that Israel also sent a drone detection platform to the UAE. MEE revealed in May that the two countries sealed a deal to pursue the joint development and acquisition of weapons systems. The UAE already operates US-made Patriot and Thaad air defence systems. The Breaking Defence news site reported in 2022 that the UAE also purchased Israel's Barak air defence system. "[But] the UAE does not have a fully layered air-defence system," the US official told MEE. Israel and the Mecca Pact The discussions underscore how Israel is moving to integrate its technology with strategic partners. Greece and the Republic of Cyprus sit at the western end of a network that includes the UAE and India to the east. Last month, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey joined together in a mutual defence agreement called the Mecca Pact, which many see as a potential rival to Israel’s partnerships. Saudi Arabia and its partners say they want to bolster defence cooperation, but have yet to unveil any big ticket items. Neither Turkey nor Pakistan have publicly acknowledged coming to Saudi Arabia’s support as it has faced attacks from Houthi fighters in Yemen. Greece signs $3.5bn air defence deal with Israel Read More » Exporting air defence systems is complex because they contain many moving parts including command and control systems, sensors, radar, interceptors and launchers. The tiered air defence system that Israel has sold Greece is even more complex because it is designed to address a variety of threats. Under the deal sealed with Greece, Israel will help design and supply components for an all-encompassing air defence system Greece is developing called Achilles Shield. Israel’s defence ministry said this is the first time in history it will “supply a complete defense array against a wide range of threats - from ballistic missiles and aerial threats to hostile unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)”. Greece has purchased Israel's David's Sling and SPYDER systems produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the Barak MX system made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), as well as MMR multi-mission radars for air surveillance, manufactured by IAI unit ELTA Systems. Greece will be only the second customer for Israel’s David’s Sling after Finland, a fellow Nato member that borders Russia. The Republic of Cyprus purchased and took delivery of Israel's Barak defence system in December 2024, according to Greek media. Arms Trade News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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