Democratic lawmakers push back on Paramount’s potential takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery
NBC News
Democratic lawmakers and California’s attorney general expressed deep skepticism about Paramount Skydance’s potential takeover of Warner Bros.
Democratic lawmakers and California’s attorney general expressed deep skepticism about Paramount Skydance’s potential takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery after Netflix abruptly pulled out of the bidding war Thursday, the latest twist in a contentious and politically loaded corporate drama.
WBD’s board of directors still needs to formally approve Paramount’s offer, and any deal between the two Hollywood giants — the owners of storied film studios and top streaming apps — requires sign-off from Justice Department regulators. The board could meet as early as Friday, according to a source familiar with the matter.
“Paramount/Warner Bros. is not a done deal,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “These two Hollywood titans have not cleared regulatory scrutiny — the California Department of Justice has an open investigation, and we intend to be vigorous in our review.”
Bonta, a Democrat who took office in 2021, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the next steps in his office’s investigation. The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment on the WBD-Paramount transaction.
The combined entity would be led by David Ellison, the son of Oracle mogul Larry Ellison, a close ally of President Donald Trump. “Larry Ellison is great and his son David is great,” Trump told reporters in October. “They’re friends of mine. They’re big supporters of mine, and they’ll do the right thing.”
Americans are poised to receive bigger refunds when they file their taxes this year than they did in 2025, due to changes in the tax code
The ongoing war in Iran is disrupting fertilizer shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, raising farmers' costs and pushing food prices higher.
The U.S. economy, hobbled by last fall’s 43-day government shutdown, advanced at a sluggish 0.7% annual rate from October through December, the Commerce Department reported Friday in a big downgrade of its initial estimate
The price of oil jumped more than 7%, as the war on Iran was "creating the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market."
An Iran-linked hacker group has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on a medical tech company in what appears to be the first significant instance of Iran’s hacking an American company since the start of the war between the countries
The Consumer Price Index for the month of February is expected to show that prices rose only slightly right before the Iran war sent energy costs skyrocketing.
A federal judge ordered Live Nation to engage in settlement talks with a group of state attorneys general who accuse the live entertainment behemoth of illegally dominating the industry.
An Ohio federal judge on Monday said she's obligated to "avoid absurdity" and ruled that Kalshi's prediction markets in sports amount to acts of gambling — which should come under state regulations
A drop in oil prices slowed after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned the day would be America's "most intense day of strikes inside Iran."
Uber launched a feature Monday to allow both women riders and drivers across the U.S. to be matched with other women for trips, expanding a pilot program aimed at addressing concerns about the safety of its ride-hailing platform.
The price of oil surged Monday, as the effects of the Iran war hit markets worldwide and stoke fresh worries about inflation.
Live Nation settles antitrust case with Justice Department for $200 million; Ticketmaster avoids breakup
Oil continued its recent surge Sunday, hitting $100 per barrel for the first time since July 2022 as the ripple effects from the U.S. war on Iran continued to hit global markets.