Paramount Global’s non-executive chair Shari Redstone publicly broke with the CBS News management team over its handling of a controversial interview with author Ta-Nehisi Coates about Israel that has roiled the newsroom.

Redstone, speaking Wednesday at a previously scheduled event for Advertising Week in New York, said the Paramount Global’s news division leadership “made a mistake” in admonishing “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil for his aggressive questioning of Coates. The award-winning author appeared on the program Sept. 30 to discuss his new book “The Message,” which examines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Redstone praised Dokoupil’s handling of the interview, which drew criticism from the news division’s standards and practices department and its race and culture unit. During the interview, Dokoupil said the book “would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist.”

Employees upset over the Coates interview conducted an email writing campaign complaining that Dokoupil’s personal views were influencing his reporting, according to a person familiar with the messages and was not authorized to discuss them publicly.

Management’s issues with Dokoupil were discussed in an editorial call with staff on Monday, a recording of which was leaked to the digital news publication the Free Press.

Top CBS News executives Wendy McMahon and Adrienne Roark told staff members on the call that the interview did not meet the network’s editorial standards. Redstone disagreed.

“I frankly think Tony did a great job with that interview,” Redstone said. “I was very proud of the work that he did. Yes, as hard as it was for me to go against this company, I think they made a mistake here.”

While Redstone has been known to express her opinions about CBS News internally, her comments on Wednesday were the first instance of her disagreeing publicly with a policy decision at the news division.

Redstone has a long been a philanthropic supporter of Jewish causes, especially fighting antisemitism. She is also known to be politically conservative.

Earlier this year Paramount Global agreed to merge with David Ellison’s Skydance Media. There have been no formal statements on who would run CBS News once the deal receives regulatory approval.

Redstone said she had no issue with having Coates as a guest on CBS News.

“I’m very glad that we gave him an opportunity to speak,” she said. “But we have to also provide the opportunity to challenge him on what he says.”

A representative of CBS News declined to comment on Redstone’s remarks.

Dokoupil has not faced disciplinary action and has remained on the air as the company has held sessions with employees to discuss the matter. On recording of the Monday call, CBS News journalist Jan Crawford said she struggled to see how Dokoupil’s exchange with Coates violated the newsroom’s policies.

Tensions over Middle East coverage have been ongoing at CBS News and other newsrooms since the Hamas attack on Israel last year.

Dokoupil, who is Jewish and has two children living with his ex-wife in Israel, was cordial during the interview with Coates. But he repeatedly questioned the approach the author took in his book, which compares Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank to the Jim Crow era of segregation in the U.S.

Dokoupil observed that the book did not explore the threats Israel faces from neighboring adversaries in the Middle East. Coates countered, “There is no shortage of that perspective in American media. I am most concerned, always, with those who don’t have a voice.”

Arizona began early voting Wednesday, marking yet another major swing state where voting is underway in the 2024 election.

With Arizona now in the mix, 41 states and Washington, D.C., have launched some form of early voting.

Here is everything you need to know to cast your ballot in the state.

NEXT PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION HAS TO ‘GET SERIOUS’ ABOUT IMMIGRATION, SAY VOTERS IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE

Arizona is one of the most competitive states this cycle

President Biden scored a crucial victory in Arizona in the last presidential election, flipping the state to the Democrats for the first time since 1996.

Four years later, the state remains highly competitive. In late September, a Fox News Poll put Republican former President Trump at 50% and Democrat Vice President Harris at 47% among likely voters; an AARP survey around the same time had Trump two points ahead of Harris at 49%-47%.

Maricopa County remains the most important battleground in the state. It is the fourth-highest populated county in the United States, represents more than 60% of Arizona’s registered voters and has a large suburban population, particularly in Mesa.

Arizona is also home to a higher proportion of Hispanic voters than the rest of the country, and while they favored Biden by 19 points in the last election, they have shown signs of shifting toward Trump.

Republicans are strongest in sparsely populated rural areas, particularly Mohave County (Trump +51) and Graham County (Trump +45), but they run up the margin most in the outer suburbs and exurban areas in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties.

Arizona is a Toss Up on the Fox News Power Rankings.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes speaks during a rally for Democrat presidential candidate Vice President Harris in Douglas, Arizona.

The Grand Canyon State will also vote for a new senator after independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema decided not to run for re-election this year. The Republican candidate is Kari Lake, a former TV news host who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022. The Democrats have fielded Rep. Ruben Gallego, a former Marine who represents Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District.

The Senate race is ranked Lean D.

Key downballot races in today’s early voting states

There are two competitive House districts in Arizona:

• 1st District: This district covers a northeast chunk of Maricopa and is represented by Republican Rep. David Schweikert, who has served Arizona in Congress since 2011. Biden won the area he represents by 1.5 points in the last presidential election (Dave’s Redistricting), making this an ultra-competitive race. Schweikert is up against Democrat and former state Rep. Amish Shah. It’s a Toss-up on the Power Rankings.
• 6th District: Tucked away in the southeast corner of the state, the 6th District is represented by freshman GOP Rep. Juan Ciscomani. Biden won this area by an even thinner margin in 2020 – just 0.1 percentage points – making it another closely watched race. Ciscomani is running against Kirsten Engel, another Democrat former state representative. It’s also a Toss-up.

How to vote in Arizona

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Arizona.

Voting by mail

Arizona began absentee voting on Monday. Residents do not need to provide an excuse in order to receive a ballot. State officials must receive a ballot request by Oct. 25 and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5.

A sign directs voters to a ballot drop box for early voting outside the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix during the 2022 election.

Early in-person voting

Arizona offers early in-person voting beginning Oct. 9 and running through Nov. 1.

Voter registration

Arizona residents were required to register to vote by Oct. 7.