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On December 8, 2025, Paramount Skydance launched a hostile $108 billion all-cash bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), challenging Netflix's $83 billion deal announced the previous week. Paramount's offer includes WBD's cable assets like CNN, unlike Netflix's bid. The Ellison family, backed by Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds and Jared Kushner's private equity, finances Paramount's bid. President Trump has expressed intent to involve himself in regulatory approval, citing competition concerns.
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As of December 31, 2025, Larry Ellison has personally guaranteed $40.4 billion to support Paramount Skydance's $108 billion hostile all-cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). This move addresses WBD's concerns over financing reliability, challenging Netflix's $82.7 billion cash-and-stock offer for part of WBD. The Ellisons aim to acquire all of WBD, including CNN and Discovery, intensifying a contentious bidding war with regulatory and shareholder implications.
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On December 18-19, 2025, TikTok and its Chinese parent ByteDance signed binding agreements with Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi's MGX to form a US joint venture. The deal, set to close January 22, 2026, complies with US law requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok's US operations or face a ban. The new entity will control US data, algorithm security, and content moderation, while ByteDance retains global commercial control.
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CBS News canceled a '60 Minutes' segment about Venezuelan men deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison, citing need for more reporting. The decision followed internal disagreements and political pressure, raising questions about editorial independence amid recent leadership changes at CBS News.
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On December 21, 2025, CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss abruptly pulled a "60 Minutes" investigation into Venezuelan migrants deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison. The decision, citing the need for additional reporting and context, sparked internal backlash and accusations of political censorship amid Paramount Skydance's ongoing Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition bid. The unaired segment leaked online after briefly streaming on Canadian TV.
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CBS pulled a segment of '60 Minutes' about abuses at El Salvador's CECOT prison, citing lack of critical voices. The segment was leaked online, revealing harrowing stories of torture and mistreatment. Critics see the move as politically motivated, raising concerns over media censorship and editorial independence.