CBS News must have decided they haven’t suffered enough self-inflicted wounds of partisan quackery as Thursday’s CBS Mornings Plus defended diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as not only necessary, but widely popular and doesn’t at all conflict with concerns about “merit,” and actually exists to benefit white women and military veterans.
Most egregiously, they made their case with a softball interview of National Urban League President Marc Morial, a semi-regular guest on CBS (like here) because his wife is CBS Saturday Morning co-host Michelle Miller. In true liberal media fashion, they showed zero ethics as they never disclosed that major link.
Featured co-host Vladimir Duthiers teased the segment as a discussion about “controversial cuts to DEI programs,” later providing this bonkers lead-in that defended DEI programs and framed it on the basis of far-left groups suing to keep then in place. He even claimed polling has shown Americans love DEI (click “expand”):
Today, we’re taking a deeper look at diversity, equity and inclusion programs in America. Civil rights organizations are now suing the Trump administration alleging that three executive orders to end DEI programs are unconstitutional. They quote, “falsely assert” the diversity programs are “illegal and inconsistent with merit” and “hard work.” They say this puts them at the “risk of losing federal fund[ing],” which is used to help their communities. By the way, the Trump administration has called DEI programs dangerous, demeaning, immoral. They say they violate civil rights laws. But a survey from 2024 found more than half of people think focusing on DEI in the workplace is a good thing and nearly 60% say it’s somewhat or extremely important to them to work in a place that is diverse. So, what is at stake and, frankly, where do we go from here?
Duthiers and fill-in co-host Jericka Duncan then turned to Morial, inviting him to simply “talk about this decision to file the lawsuit against the Trump administration.” Hard-hitting!
Morial touted his organization’s stated goals before citing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as “the American magna carta” that’s now at stake with the strong implication that the Trump administration is threatening “meaningful access to the American dream,” a “fundamental American value.”
“What concerns me is the twisting of logic, to suggest initiatives to end discrimination are discriminatory in effect, that's not only wrong, it is lying. It’s – it’s trying to trick the American people into believing it something that is good and something we need is not good,” he added.
Duncan seemed almost burdened having to give (cartoonish) lip service to the administration (and millions of Americans), asking him to “help people understand how” merit and DEI “can co-exist” when so many want “to go back to…your grades or outcome or your ability to do the job[.]”
Morial delivered another bonkers reply, starting with the bald-faced lie that “what DE&I does is it gives everybody who has merit a chance” while, whenever someone who disagrees with him uses the word “merit,” it’s “a code word that has been used to support excluding people.”
Try and not to laugh or scream at this take from Morial:
DE&I and merit go together hand-in-hand like a mustard on hotdog, like red beans and rice. The fundamental idea is give everyone with merit a chance. What some of these folks is they don't want to give everyone a chance. They want an America of the 1950s when most Americans were excluded, the suggestion that only a certain American has merit. So, we’ve got to challenge the logic head-on. We all believe in merit.
It got even zanier with Duthiers and Morial telling viewers that DEI was for more than simply African-Americans, but white women, in-vitro fertilization recipients, “LGBTQ+ people,” and veterans (click “expand”):
DUTHIERS: Marc, let me ask you. One of the things that gets lost in translation is people associate DEI with black and brown communities without realizing that this also covers disabled people, this covers veterans, this covers white women, LGBTQ+ people, families who need IVF, so the question is what does the United States look like in five or 10 years if the President's policies and actions are implemented?
MORIAL: I’m so glad you mentioned that, Vlad, because some of the biggest beneficiaries of “equal economic opportunities” and DE&I programs have been white women. More than 30 now CEOs of major corporations. 25 years ago, it was two or three. The disabled community, LGBTQ community. If you talk about all the communities who are “considered” DE&I, that’s a majority of the American people. That is what is so crucial about this. It’s that the loud voices against this are not representing the majority thinking of the American people[.]
Duncan closed things out by lobbing Morial another sympathetic softball about the future of the National Urban League if DEI were to die off.
Of course, Morial argued such stoppages would be “affecting our very mission and essence and I think our right and ability and mission to do our work.”
To see the relevant CBS transcript from February 20, click here.
