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Thursday, December 11, 2025 |
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Hey there! Lots going on today. Disney and OpenAI just announced a landmark agreement. TIME just named the People of the Year. Plus: Big sales for Charlie Kirk's posthumous book and a new story about MAGA's media machine "ripping itself apart." But first... |
For President Trump, the tug-of-war over Warner Bros. Discovery is a chance to yank the rope and knock CNN off balance.
Right now, he is certainly trying to do so — but it's far from certain whether he can actually succeed.
"It's imperative that CNN be sold," Trump said yesterday, calling the current leaders a "disgrace" and accusing the network of spreading "poison."
His commentary signaled that he favors Paramount's hostile takeover bid for WBD, since that's the only current scenario that would lead to a change in CNN's ownership. The ensuing WSJ headline read: "For Trump, the Warner Megadeal Talks Are All About CNN."
That pretty much sums it up perfectly. Ten years of anti-CNN comments leave little doubt about the president's desire to disable CNN.
Now, with this sale process, he can throw his considerable weight around. "He's looking to exert maximum pressure," the NY Post's Charlie Gasparino wrote. Many of Trump's allies (and perhaps some aligned media mogul pals) are more than happy to see him do so.
But it bears repeating that Trump does not get to choose who owns CNN. His administration can play favorites, slow down the process, sue to block a disfavored deal — but the AT&T-Time Warner case shows that companies can fight and win.
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Independence is good for business |
The WSJ's Brian Schwartz and Alex Leary reported what's happening behind the scenes: "Trump has told allies he is open to considering a new deal for Warner in which CNN is completely sold off from the business and not spun off into Discovery Global as planned, people familiar with the discussions said."
They added: "In private conversations, the president has said that CNN should be run by people he believes are friendlier toward him and the Republican Party, according to a person who has spoken to Trump in recent weeks."
Like... the Ellisons? If you've read this newsletter in recent weeks, then you're caught up on all things Paramount. (For a refresher, here's my latest CNN.com story.)
Trump has called the Ellisons "friends" and "big supporters." Media reform groups and Democratic senators have raised alarms about David Ellison's changes to CBS and Larry Ellison's key role in Trump's plan to transfer TikTok's US operations to a group of American investors.
At the same time, however, David Ellison has promoted "60 Minutes," which frequently airs probes of Trump’s actions, and the animated sitcom "South Park," which has ruthlessly satirized Trump and his administration this year.
So... it's complicated. But here's what I want to underscore: Trump's highly personal and politicized comments about CBS and CNN risk diminishing the news brands in viewers' minds, just as the perception of corporate meddling can harm their credibility.
News outlets are in the business of winning sponsors, subscribers and ultimately the trust of the audience. Independence is good for business; subservience is bad for business.
Media execs get that. WBD CEO David Zaslav has spoken many times about defending and protecting CNN's news operation. And CNN CEO Mark Thompson has said that Zaslav has been true to his word.
Zaslav and the Warner board have been serious about "CNN's editorial independence, including independence from them — allowing me to be where the buck stops in terms of editorial decision-making," Thompson said in an interview with Business Insider in October.
He added, "I would test any owner not on general perfection, but a commitment to editorial independence and a commitment to building."
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Will Trump's words backfire? |
Does it help or harm Paramount's case that Trump is openly saying he'll support a merger on the condition that CNN gets sold and smothered?
On the one hand, Trump's comments introduce an undeniable amount of political interference that could create headaches for Paramount, shadowing every decision it makes about CNN if it ends up owning WBD. It could become a lens through which future DOJ, Capitol Hill or state AG investigations evaluate anything Paramount does. Democratic lawmakers are already warning about possible probes.
On the other hand, Trump's comments could benefit Paramount, at least in the short run: As Sara Fischer noted at Axios, they "could be used to persuade shareholders that Netflix's bid faces regulatory risks because it doesn't include the acquisition of WBD's cable networks, including CNN."
>> Further reading: Business Insider's Peter Kafka has an informative piece titled, "Why the fate of HBO depends on how little CNN is worth."
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3️⃣ political media notes & quotes |
>> This was the most-read story on the AP's sprawling website this morning: "New York Times, after Trump post, says it won't be deterred from writing about his health." It's a timely reminder that the news-devouring public is paying close attention to his attacks against the media.
>> Speaking of that tirade against the NYT, Mediaite's Colby Hall asked three top AI chatbots to analyze what Trump wrote. Their respective verdicts? ChatGPT: "Grandiosity so intense it bends nearby furniture." Elon Musk's Grok: "Classic high-dominance narcissistic personality organization." Claude: "This is someone who experiences any challenge to his self-image as an existential threat."
>> A blockbuster NYT investigation by Megan Twohey and Isabella Kwai found that Trumpworld support played a role in freeing Andrew and Tristan Tate, far-right kings of the so-called manosphere, from Romania, where they were held on rape and trafficking charges.
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Disney and OpenAI's big deal |
Hadas Gold writes: Disney is taking a $1 billion equity stake in OpenAI, while also striking a deal that would allow its famous characters be used on Sora. This is the first such major licensing agreement for Sora.
Users will be able to pick from "more than 200 animated, masked and creature characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars," the companies said in a blog post. However, "the agreement does not include any talent likenesses or voices." Read Gold's full story here...
>> Also new this morning: TIME's "Person of the Year" cover features the "architects of AI." Check out how the covers were made here...
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Left: Illustration by Peter Crowther for TIME. Right: Painting by Jason Seiler for TIME. |
Charlie Kirk's book has sold out |
"Stop, in the Name of God," which Charlie Kirk wrote before he died, is listed as "temporarily out of stock" on Amazon. The publisher, Winning Team, which Donald Trump Jr. co-founded, is rushing to print more copies. The sold-out sign shows that the book "is already a major hit," the WSJ's Jeffrey Trachtenberg wrote.
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Chris Rufo is right about this: |
"The Right's media apparatus is how the Right teaches its followers how to think, and it's currently getting consumed by conspiracy, psychodrama, and tabloid conflicts," Christopher Rufo wrote yesterday. "If left unchecked, it will turn the audience into the equivalent of a Third World click farm."
Axios reporter Tal Axelrod has a new piece this morning about what's going on. "MAGA's media machine is ripping itself apart, locked in a web of interpersonal feuds that have derailed its once-relentless focus on advancing President Trump's agenda," Axelrod says.
One of many examples: The online conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk's death, stoked by Candace Owens and many others. Erika pushed back with "righteous anger" on Fox's "Outnumbered" yesterday, saying, "This is not okay. It's not healthy. This is a mind virus."
According to CBS's promos for its Saturday night town hall with Erika, which Bari Weiss taped yesterday, the conspiracy obsession also came up in that interview. CBS shared a walk-and-talk video of Weiss previewing the town hall on social media last night...
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Ryan Lizza has published Part 5 of his accounting of the Olivia Nuzzi and RFK Jr. drama, this time zeroing in on how Nuzzi and her advisers, CAA agent Rachel Adler and former CNN spox Matt Dornic, allegedly tried to dissuade Oliver Darcy from publicly reporting on the relationship for Status, and then pivoted to a "campaign of revenge" against Lizza. He published this one fully in front of the paywall...
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Bob Iger and Sam Altman will discuss the Disney-OpenAI deal on CNBC at 10:30 a.m. ET.
The Game Awards, billed as "gaming's Oscars," are streaming tonight starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.
TikTok is "launching a brand-new live podcast series" called "TikTok in the Mix," starting tonight with Demi Lovato.
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>> Brian Glenn says he is "giving up his White House gig" and returning to Georgia with girlfriend Marjorie Taylor Greene. (WaPo)
>> Speaking of MTG, she will return to "The View" on Jan. 7, two days after resigning from her post. (TheWrap)
>> There's big $$ in "romantasy": Peter Chernin's private-equity firm "is investing in Entangled Publishing, a popular publisher of romance-fantasy books." (WSJ)
>> David Kraft, ESPN's VP for news, penned a reflection on the 10-year anniversary of the sports network's Universal News Group. (Front Row)
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Clare Duffy writes: AI-generated videos showing what appear to be underage girls in sexualized clothing or positions have together racked up millions of likes on TikTok, even though the platform’s rules prohibit such content, according to new research from the online safety non-profit Maldita.es.
Comments on many of the videos included links to chats on the messaging platform Telegram, which offered child pornography for purchase, according to a report that came out this morning. Read on...
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Google's next AI overview test for news |
Google "is testing AI-powered article overviews on participating publications' Google News pages as part of a new pilot program,” TechCrunch's Aisha Malik reports. The Guardian, The Washington Examiner, and The Washington Post are among the participating outlets.
>> In a blog post announcing the overviews, Google also said it is "launching a new feature that highlights links from your news subscriptions, making it easier to spot content from sources you trust and helping you get more value from your subscription."
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>> A great story by Mary Ilyushina: "Russian children have flooded President Vladimir Putin with pleas to restore access to Roblox, a gaming platform that is hugely popular with kids and teenagers and was abruptly blocked across the country this month." (WaPo)
>> Microsoft, Meta, Google, Apple and other companies have "received a warning from a bipartisan group of state attorneys general" about chatbot delusions possibly violating state laws, Courtney Rozen reports. (Reuters)
>> Instagram "will start letting you pick what shows up in your Reels." The theory is that "more control over the algorithm could keep you scrolling," Reece Rogers writes. (WIRED)
>> And they're not alone: Spotify "will begin testing a new feature that allows users to type an idea for a playlist into the app and receive a unique set of songs based on their historical taste and behavior," Ashley Carman reports. (Bloomberg)
>> ChatGPT "was the number one free app that iPhone users downloaded in 2025, followed by Threads, Google, TikTok, and WhatsApp." (MacRumors)
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YouTube's plan for more plans |
YouTube TV is launching "cheaper, more targeted packages of programming" called "YouTube TV Plans" early next year, Deadline's Dade Hayes reports. “Individual plans can be combined, allowing heavy viewers of sports and news, for example, to get their fix without paying extra for general entertainment fare that is increasingly available outside of the pay bundle." Hayes has more here...
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>> Taylor Swift "stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Wednesday night ahead of the release of her new Disney+ docuseries." (THR)
>> New this morning: The BBC has ordered its first full season of a UK "Celebrity Apprentice," which will be fronted by Lord Alan Sugar. (Deadline)
>> "28 Years Later III" is "getting the greenlight at Sony with Oscar winner Cillian Murphy in talks to star." (TheWrap)
>> Last but not least, next month's Sundance Film Festival lineup has been set. (Deadline)
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