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AG OFFICE Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks in front of the iconic Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. |
Filipino American California Attorney General Rob Bonta is refusing to let a rigged market dictate the future of Hollywood. Standing in front of the landmark Hollywood sign, Bonta announced that he is leading a multi-state coalition of 12 attorneys general to block the massive $111 billion mega-merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery.
The antitrust lawsuit, filed July 13 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, directly challenges the transaction.
“Today, I am leading a coalition of states in challenging the proposed merger of Warner Bros. and Paramount and asking the court to block the deal," Bonta said in a statement Monday.
The Ellison family’s cozy alignment with Donald Trump is sending shockwaves through both Silicon Valley and Hollywood. Tech billionaire Larry Ellison and his son, media mogul David Ellison, have firmly established themselves as key financial backers and strategic allies of the (Trump regime).The son also rises
“Today, I am leading a coalition of states in challenging the proposed merger of Warner Bros. and Paramount and asking the court to block the deal," Bonta said in a statement Monday.
"The unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the US," said Bonta while standing in front of the famous Hollywood sign.
"California's film and entertainment industry touches the lives of Americans daily — it comes into the living rooms of families, has a starring role in many young people's first dates, and is a point of immense pride and employment for Californians up and down our state.
"California's film and entertainment industry touches the lives of Americans daily — it comes into the living rooms of families, has a starring role in many young people's first dates, and is a point of immense pride and employment for Californians up and down our state.
"Consolidation here not only leads to higher prices — it also leads to fewer opportunities for important stories to come to life, and fewer ways for audiences to encounter stories, ideas, and perspectives beyond their own experiences. In this country, no one is above the law. With this lawsuit, California and our sister states are fighting for free and fair markets, not rigged markets. America has no kings in government or our economy."
Trump regime paves the way
The Trump Department of Justice cleared the massive entertainment merger, ignoring the severe antitrust implications. Critics highlight the deep political ties linking the deal directly to the Trump administration:
Lawmakers like Senator Elizabeth Warren have criticized the federal approval as "reeking of corruption."
This prooposed merger could be a massive victory for Trump and his supporters. By approving the deal, the administration effectively hands oversight of CNN and CBS News—two networks that have long been the targets of Trump’s media attacks — to Paramount Skydance’s David and Larry Ellison, who have close ties to Trump.
This prooposed merger could be a massive victory for Trump and his supporters. By approving the deal, the administration effectively hands oversight of CNN and CBS News—two networks that have long been the targets of Trump’s media attacks — to Paramount Skydance’s David and Larry Ellison, who have close ties to Trump.
RELATED: The future of news media
Paramount’s chief legal officer is Makan Delrahim, who previously served as the head of the DOJ's antitrust division under Trump.
Bonta argues that bypassing competition benefits a tiny group of handpicked winners while squeezing working class audiences and creative talent. The coalition points out that the combined entertainment giant would control nearly one-third of all wide-release theatrical film distribution and one-third of basic cable programming. Bonta stated, "America has no kings, not in government or the economy."
The consolidation of major news networks like CNN and CBS under a single corporate umbrella has raised significant public concern about media independence and political influence. Critics argue that this level of ownership concentration limits diverse perspectives and can lead to a softening of critical news coverage to avoid upsetting regulatory authorities or corporate interests.
The close ties between the Trump administration and the acquiring executives have fueled fears among media watchdogs that news coverage could be shifted to favor the administration's political agenda.
The big worry for everyday people
If this corporate marriage goes through, Hollywood's major film studios shrink from five to four. For consumers, Bonta's lawsuit alleges that means less competition, higher subscription prices, and lower content quality. For creative professionals, it means fewer places to sell their work, leading to severe job losses and a hit to creative diversity.
Beyond the economic argument against the merger, critics argue this gives the administration unprecedented leverage to reshape the news by putting CNN and CBS under a single, friendly corporate umbrella could soften critical news coverage.
It would give Trump and his ultra-rich allies a strong voice in the movie buisness. Hollywood and most of its celebrities are generally perceived by Trump as one of his enemies, routinely accusing them of having "Trump Derangement Syndrome" and pushing biased political agendas.
For Trump's base, seeing these major mainstream media outlets taken over by friendly leadership feels like the ultimate win against what they have long criticized as hostile newsrooms.
The argument that corporate-owned media inherently shapes narratives to serve corporate and political allies is a central focus of media criticism. Those who share this view point out that when a small number of massive conglomerates control the vast majority of news outlets, public access to independent, investigative journalism can suffer.
In this case, opponents worry that the merger serves as a tool to neutralize adversarial reporting from networks that have traditionally been highly critical of the administration.
Conversely, proponents of the merger and corporate media ownership argue that large-scale consolidation is a financial necessity in the modern digital age. They contend that traditional media companies must scale up to pool resources, remain financially viable, and effectively compete against major tech and streaming platforms like Netflix, Apple, and Amazon.
From this perspective, a financially stronger media entity is better equipped to fund robust journalism, and editorial independence can still be maintained through professional journalistic standards, regardless of corporate ownership or the political leanings of executives.
Trump has openly called the Ellisons his "friends and allies."
The Ellisons
Despite the high-sounding rhetoric from supporters, the Ellison's have made no secret about their allegiance to Trump. When they took over CBS they essentially neutrereditsnews division, including the prestigious 60 Minutes, who Trump has accused in the past to being biased against him.
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| David Ellison, left, and his tech billionaire Larry Ellison want to be media moguls. |
The Ellison family’s cozy alignment with Donald Trump is sending shockwaves through both Silicon Valley and Hollywood. Tech billionaire Larry Ellison and his son, media mogul David Ellison, have firmly established themselves as key financial backers and strategic allies of the (Trump regime).
For a community and country constantly navigating the intersection of corporate power and media influence, the evidence of this alliance raises serious questions about who controls the narrative in America.
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who recently moved his primary residence to Florida just minutes away from Mar-a-Lago, has deep ties to Trump. The elder Ellison dropped a massive $45 million donation to a pro-Trump political nonprofit during the campaign, securing his spot in Trump's inner circle.
In the chaotic days following the 2020 election, Ellison was reportedly on strategy calls with Trump aides trying to find ways to invalidate election results in Georgia and Pennsylvania.
Under the current administration, Oracle was handed the architectural reins for the federal government's massive $500 billion artificial intelligence infrastructure initiative.
The son also rises
While father Larry dominates tech, son David Ellison—the head of Paramount Skydance — is leveraging Washington connections to reshape American media despite not having any media experience or even if they are aware of traditional journalistic principles. The implications for diversity, news integrity, and representation are staggering.
The Trump regime’s Justice Department swiftly cleared Skydance’s massive purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery without demanding any major antitrust concessions. Trump has openly called the Ellisons his "friends and allies."
Reports from the Wall Street Journal indicate the Ellisons assured the administration they would aggressively overhaul CNN's editorial direction if the merger went through.
The lawsuit of Bonta and the other 12 attorneys generals is not happening in isolation. A day after Bonta's complaint, a Paramount Skydance shareholder filed a major lawsuit in Delaware's Chancery Court to block the proposed merger, explicitly alleging that the Ellisons cut a corrupt deal with Trump — offering private media benefits in exchange for regulatory favors.
The Ellisons have strongly denied any deal with Trump and their stated goal of delivering honest, fact-based journalism.
Views from the edge
The proposed merger gives the administration unprecedented media leverage to:
- Reshape the news: Putting CNN and CBS under a single, friendly corporate umbrella could soften critical news coverage.
- Add Tik Tok to the media emprire: The Ellisons also are the primary owners of Tik Tok, US, which operates as a major disseminator of news, functioning as a primary information source for a significant portion of the global population, particularly younger demographics
- Control the narrative: Executives aligned with the administration will have the power to steer political reporting and drop corporate diversity programs.
- Neutralize critics: For Trump's base, seeing these major mainstream media outlets taken over by friendly leadership feels like the ultimate win against what they have long criticized as hostile newsrooms.
Besides the Ellisons, Trump's allies and enablers already control major media outlets like Fox, the New York Post, Wall Street Journal, Washington Times and the Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Nextstar Media controup between them own over 400 television stations.
Now, with billions in tech infrastructure contracts and the keys to a global media empire on the line, the Ellisons have shown exactly where their loyalties lie. As independent media observers, we have to ask: when billionaires buy up the airwaves to please the White House, who is looking out for the rest of us?
Now, with billions in tech infrastructure contracts and the keys to a global media empire on the line, the Ellisons have shown exactly where their loyalties lie. As independent media observers, we have to ask: when billionaires buy up the airwaves to please the White House, who is looking out for the rest of us?
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