Moonves Keeps His Job For Now as CBS Looks for Independent Investigator
*By Bridgette Webb*
CBS's board of directors decided Monday to keep Leslie Moonves on as Chairman and CEO, even as the company looks into sexual misconduct allegations against him.
The company also postponed an annual shareholder meeting that had already been rescheduled for August 10 and said it would seek outside legal counsel to oversee an independent investigation.
Wall Street Journal reporter Keach Hagey, who wrote a book about battle for power at CBS, said the probe would be 'top-to-bottom', examining not only Moonves's conduct, but also the broader company culture.
"Half of that Ronan Farrow article was about '60 Minutes', Jeff Fager, the way that sexual harassment claims were handled,” Hagey said before the board's decision. "This is also part of a thematic complaints that Shari Redstone has had against the board. She claimed that a board member grabbed her face."
Shares of CBS have fallen more than 10 percent since a New Yorker [exposé](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/08/06/les-moonves-and-cbs-face-allegations-of-sexual-misconduct) published Friday detailed claims of harassment by six women who worked with Moonves between 1985 and 2006.
The scandal coincides with a battle between Moonves and vice chairman Shari Redstone, whose National Amusements is the largest shareholder in CBS. Redstone is trying to recombine the company with Viacom, which she also controlsーa move Moonves sharply opposes.
It was not clear after Monday's meeting whether Moonves would stay on throughout the entire investigation or if the board is still discussing his removal.
“If Les Moonves does step aside, it would increase the chances that CBS and Viacom would merge,” Hagey said.
For more on this story, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/whats-next-for-cbs).
Some small grocery stores and neighborhood convenience stores are eager for the U.S. government shutdown to end and for their customers to start receiving federal food aid again. Late last month, the Trump administration froze funding for the SNAP benefits that about 42 million Americans use to buy groceries. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says about 74% of the assistance was spent last year at superstores like Walmart and supermarkets like Kroger. Around 14% went to smaller stores that are more accessible to SNAP beneficiaries. A former director of the United Nations World Food Program says SNAP is not only a social safety net for families but a local economic engine that supports neighborhood businesses.
Andy Baehr, Head of Product at CoinDesk Indices, breaks down crypto’s Black Friday crash, Bitcoin dipping under $100K, and what’s driving the market rout.
Billionaire Warren Buffett warned shareholders Monday that many companies will fare better than his Berkshire Hathaway in the decades ahead as Father Time catches up
Chris Marquette of POLITICO breaks down how the FAA is cutting flights and facing a critical shortage of air‑traffic controllers amid the government shutdown.
Dr. Manuele Aufiero, CEO & Co‑Founder of Sizable En a groundbreaking undersea energy‑storage technology powering the global shift to clean, scalable power.
Paul Fipps, President of Global Customer Operations at ServiceNow, breaks down the company’s earnings beat, 5‑for‑1 stock split and booming enterprise AI demand