Former President Donald Trump has secured a procedural win in his $20 billion lawsuit against CBS and its parent company, Paramount. A judge has rejected the networks' motion to dismiss the case, allowing Trump's allegations of election interference and news distortion to proceed. The lawsuit stems from a 2024 "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, where CBS aired different portions of her response to a question about Israel on separate broadcasts.

Trump claims CBS deceptively edited Harris's response to aid her campaign one month before the election. The original lawsuit, filed in October, targeted CBS News. However, it was recently amended to include Paramount Global and Rep. Ronny Jackson as a plaintiff, increasing the sought damages. The judge's decision means the case will remain in Texas, rejecting CBS's argument for a venue change to New York.

The controversy revolves around Harris's answer to a question regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's perceived unresponsiveness to the Biden administration. CBS aired one part of her answer on "Face the Nation" and a different, shorter segment during the primetime "60 Minutes" special. The released unedited transcript and footage reveal the discrepancies, prompting accusations that CBS altered the interview to protect Harris from criticism after her initial response was deemed a "word salad" by some.

The FCC investigated the matter following a complaint about potential news distortion. CBS initially resisted releasing the full transcript, only doing so after the FCC's intervention. Reports suggest that Paramount is considering a settlement to avoid potential complications with a pending merger with Skydance Media, fearing repercussions from Trump's influence on the FCC.