Tony Dokoupil’s tenure as the new face of CBS Evening News will begin in Miami, as the network this week announced a 10-city, 10-day tour of the evening broadcast.
Live from America, as promoted by CBS News, will feature Dokoupil leaving the comfortable studio confines to travel across the country, connecting with people where they are and sharing important stories.
The first week of the tour will see Dokoupil anchor CBS Evening News from Miami on Jan. 5, Atlanta on Jan. 6, Dallas on Jan. 7, Denver on Jan. 8, and San Francisco on Jan. 9.
The remaining tour dates include Detroit on Jan. 12, Minneapolis on Jan. 13, Chicago on Jan. 14, Cincinnati on Jan. 15, and Pittsburgh on Jan. 16.
Meanwhile, the network also announced the expansion of its town hall series in conjunction with Free Press, dubbed “Things That Matter.” The series, presented by Bank of America, will also include debates and will feature the people in politics and culture shaping American life. Held across the country, upcoming events include town halls with Vice President JD Vance, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Maryland Governor Wes Moore. To date, debate topics announced include God, feminism, and capitalism.
Programming changes: NewsNation has quickly filled its 10 p.m. ET slot recently vacated by Ashleigh Banfield, naming Fox News veteran Katie Pavlich as the new host for the time period. Pavlich’s new primetime program will debut in early 2026 and offer insight into major news and current events, featuring spirited debates, dynamic panel discussions, and in-depth conversations with key newsmakers.
Checkin’ out the new digs! @NewsNation pic.twitter.com/e0cF93VLij
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) December 18, 2025
In addition to Pavlich’s appointment, NewsNation also announced an expansion of its live news programming on weeknights and weekends. Beginning in late January, the network will debut an hour of live news at 11 p.m. ET anchored by Jesse Weber, who has been with the news outlet since March 2023, serving as a legal contributor and guest anchor. Also set to start in late 2026, the Saturday and Sunday editions of NewsNation’s Morning in America, hosted by Hena Doba, will begin at 6 a.m. ET. On Saturdays, NewsNation Live will add an hour of live news, and Batya!, hosted by Batya Ungar-Sargon, will air at 7 p.m. ET, with an encore presentation on Sundays at 11 a.m. ET.
$10 billion lawsuit: President Donald Trump kept true to his promise to sue the BBC, filing a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the news entity in a Florida court. The president is accusing the BBC of combining different sections of a January 6, 2021, speech, making it seem he directed his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol. The BBC, which acknowledged the error and apologized to the president, said it will fight the lawsuit, with a spokesperson stating, “We will be defending this case.”
