#paramount global

The Federal Communications Commission has approved Skydance’s $8 billion acquisition of CBS parent company Paramount Global, both of which made significant concessions to President Donald Trump in recent weeks.

Marita Vlachou at HuffPost:

CBS on Thursday filed two motions to dismiss President Donald Trump’s amended complaint against the network over its editing of an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election campaign. Paramount Global, CBS Broadcasting Inc., and CBS Interactive Inc., the three defendants in the case, argued that Trump’s lawsuit, which was amended last month, in part, to add Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) as a plaintiff, is “an affront to the First Amendment and is without basis in law or fact.” Trump and Jackson “seek to punish a news organization for constitutionally protected editorial judgments they do not like,” the defendants said. “They not only ask for $20 billion in damages but also seek an order directing how a news organization may exercise its editorial judgment in the future,” they added. “The First Amendment stands resolutely against these demands.” Trump’s legal action stems from two different versions the network released for Harris’ answer to a question about Israel during a “60 Minutes” interview broadcast in October. Trump has accused the network of election interference over what he described as deceptive editing of the show’s sit-down interview with Harris, an assertion that has been repeatedly disputed by CBS. “The answers that aired on each news show were simply excerpts of a single answer Vice President Harris gave to a single question, and taken together, viewers heard virtually all of Harris’ answer,” the CBS motion said. CBS has also released the full transcript and camera feeds of its interview with Harris following pressure from Brendan Carr, the new chair of the Federal Communications Commission under Trump.

CBS rightly calls Donald Trump’s frivolous lawsuit against the network “an affront to the 1st Amendment.”

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Also, I am adding this article since the entertainment industry decided to use Generative AI.

Paramount settles with Trump for $16m over 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris

The lawsuit alleged that CBS, via its news show 60 Minutes, deceptively edited an interview with Harris – then the US vice-president as well as the Democratic presidential candidate – to “tip the scales in favor of the Democratic party” in the election. On the campaign trail last year, Trump threatened to revoke CBS’s broadcasting licence if elected.

The settlement also comes after Meta Platforms, the Facebook and Instagram parent company, said on 29 January it had agreed to pay about $25m to settle a lawsuit by Trump over the company’s suspension of his accounts after the 6 January 2021 attack at the US Capitol.

Peter White at Deadline:

In a shocking move, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is ending in May 2026. [...] Colbert, who announced the news during tonight’s taping, said that he was grateful to CBS for giving him the chair. “I’m not being replaced, this is all just going away,” Colbert said. CBS said this was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night”. “It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,” the trio added. The shock move coincides with Colbert’s contract coming up at the end of 2026. With Jon Stewart having signed another deal to remain as one of the hosts of The Daily Show, on Paramount-owned sister network Comedy Central, until the end of 2025, could Colbert take the reins of that other storied late-night franchise? Stranger things have happened. The Late Show began in August 1993 with David Letterman as host, having moved over from NBC after he didn’t get The Tonight Show gig. Letterman retired from the show in May 2015 and Colbert, who had previously starred on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report took over in September 2015.

A big blow to late-night talk: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end its run on CBS at the end of the upcoming 2025-26 TV season. The Late Show began in 1993 with David Letterman, and continued until 2015, when Colbert took over.

Judd Legum and Rebecca Crosby at Popular Information:

On July 4, 2026, President Trump plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America's independence by hosting a UFC match on the White House lawn. It is an odd choice to mark what Trump describes as "the most important milestone in our country’s history." The UFC is growing in popularity, but it did not exist until 1993. The decision, however, is consistent with Trump's approach to the presidency and the White House. Whenever possible, Trump leverages the power and prestige of the office to financially benefit himself, his family, and his political allies. Last month, Trump publicly floated the prospect of hosting a UFC fight at the White House with up to 20,000 fans next year, commenting that the White House has "a lot of land." In an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, UFC CEO Dana White said, "It's definitely going to happen." White told CBS that Trump said he would like his daughter, Ivanka, to help with the planning. Trump is scheduled to meet with White and his daughter at the end of August to iron out the details.

White is one of Trump's most outspoken and influential supporters. At major UFC events in the U.S., "it's become a tradition for the main card to begin with a choreographed entrance by Trump and White, usually joined by Kid Rock or other celebrities." While Trump has been booed while attending baseball games and other events, he would be greeted by cheers from a raucous UFC crowd, as "millions of young male voters" watched from home. UFC fighters have embraced Trump. After the fighter Jon Jones won a championship belt at Madison Square Garden shortly after the election, he thanked Trump for attending and then left the ring before presenting the belt to Trump. Trump has been a supporter of the UFC for decades. In the early 2000s, when the UFC had no gloves and few rules, many venues refused to host their events. But many fights took place at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.

Today, UFC is owned by TKO Group Holdings, which is also the parent company of WWE wrestling. Linda McMahon, the Secretary of Education and a major Trump fundraiser, owns over $50 million worth of stock in TKO. Beyond the UFC, White "used his connections to leverage appearances for Trump on friendly, right-leaning podcasts with millions of young listeners." White said the podcasts gave young voters a chance to "see who Donald Trump really is… [n]ot the bullshit you hear from the far-left media." White also appeared at campaign events and was chosen to introduce Trump at the 2024 Republican convention. After the election, Trump invited White on stage during his victory speech. He not only thanked White but also several of the right-wing podcasters that he met through White. "Donald Trump is tougher and more badass than anybody," White told the New Yorker last November.

In return for White's loyalty, Trump is turning the 250th anniversary of America's independence into a promotional event for the UFC. The marketing value of such an event is incalcuable — the White House is normally not available for rent. But White himself has described the White House fight as "a one-of-one event." The announcement of the White House fight coincided with UFC's new deal with Paramount, which will have the exclusive rights to air fights. Paramount is reportedly paying UFC $7.7 billion over seven years. Paramount secured the deal after the Trump administration approved the company's merger with Skydance. That approval came after Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle a frivolous lawsuit Trump filed against CBS News, a Paramount subsidiary.

The UFC will have a cage match at The White House on July 4th, 2026.