Top News:
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill:
President Trump told reporters “it's imperative” for CNN to be sold: “Any deal it should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately” — President Trump indicated he'd like to see CNN be sold off as its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery …
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Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Two representatives on the US House Financial Services Committee warn WBD CEO David Zaslav of national security concerns about the financiers of Paramount's bid — Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-CA) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) wrote in a letter to Zaslav, “This transaction raises national security concerns …
Discussion:
Axios, Variety, No Film School, Associated Press, Proactive, Financial Post, The A.V. Club and Reuters
Emily Graffeo / Bloomberg:
A look at Netflix's funding plan for WBD: $59B of debt financing via Wall Street banks, to be eventually replaced with bonds, term loans, and revolving credit
Discussion:
The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, @devonheinen.bsky.social, Screen Rant, The Hill and Barron's Online
Max Tani / Semafor:
Democrats warn that their party, when it returns to power, may attempt to block or unravel any Paramount acquisition of WBD due to national security concerns
Discussion:
Telegraph, @maxwelltani, The Wrap, Cord Cutters News, NOTUS and AzerNews
Rohan Goswami / Semafor:
Sources: some WBD investors warm to David Ellison and his top team, after they were reassured that Paramount's Middle Eastern financing is secure
Discussion:
Status, CNN, Poynter, Media Play News, @semaforben, The Wrap, Screen, Variety, Wall Street Journal, @maxwelltani, Benzinga, Breaking the News, Business Insider and Daring Fireball
David Bauder / Associated Press:
The NYT says it won't be deterred in its work after Trump posted on Truth Social that reporting by The NYT and others about his health was “seditious” — The New York Times, attacked by President Donald Trump for reporting about his physical condition, said on Wednesday …
Discussion:
Deadline, @nytimespr, Raw Story, MS NOW, @trumpwarroom, @brunojnavarro.bsky.social, Straight Arrow News, @gregmorosoff.bsky.social, @carlquintanilla.bsky.social, @karyncaplan, @mariopro.bsky.social, CNN, The Wrap, @atrupar.com, The Hill, Suggest, Mediaite, New Republic, New Jersey Online, Alternet.org, HuffPost, Mirror US and The Independent
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
Google tests AI-powered overviews on some publications' Google News pages; publishers like Der Spiegel, El País, and WaPo in commercial partnerships get paid — Google is testing AI-powered article overviews on participating publications' Google News pages as part of a new pilot program, the search giant announced on Wednesday.
Discussion:
The Information, 9to5Google and The Verge
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Barry Schwartz / Search Engine Land:
Google rolls out Preferred Sources globally, letting users customize “top stories” in Search, and launches highlighted links from users' news subscriptions
Discussion:
Search Engine Journal, Android Police, Android Central, @glenngabe.bsky.social, The Keyword, KnowTechie and Phandroid
Todd Spangler / Variety:
YouTube TV plans to launch over 10 genre-specific, cheaper YouTube TV Plans in early 2026, including a Sports Plan featuring ESPN Unlimited and Fox Sports 1 — YouTube TV's base package currently costs $82.99 per month. But early next year, the streaming service will roll out a range …
Discussion:
Engadget, Deadline, YouTube Official Blog, Sports Business Journal, Livemint, @willmckinley.bsky.social, AppleInsider, TheDesk.net, The Athletic, Android Authority, 9to5Google, Thurrott, Pocket-lint, The Streamable, TechCrunch, Chrome Unboxed, @lucas_shaw, Los Angeles Times, MacRumors, The Shortcut, @tvgrimreaper, Cord Cutters News, Droid Life, The US Sun, Streaming Better, Front Office Sports, Sportico, The Wrap, Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, Bloomberg, Media Play News and BGR, more at Techmeme »
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
CBS names Tony Dokoupil as the new anchor of CBS Evening News as part of a major overhaul under Bari Weiss; Dokoupil is currently an anchor on CBS' morning show — Dokoupil, currently an anchor on the CBS morning show, will lead an overhaul of the evening newscast under CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
Discussion:
CBS News, New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Chicago Tribune, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Washington Examiner, Fox News, RADAR, Newsbusters, Breitbart, The Post Millennial, Forbes, Adweek, National Enquirer, WWL-TV, HELLO!, TV Insider, The Guardian, The A.V. Club, TVLine, Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, Washington Post, TVNewsCheck, Reuters, The Wrap, @dannygroner.bsky.social, Variety, Deadline, Mirror US, Barrett Media, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Caller, Showbiz411, The Independent and New York Post
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Spotify will begin testing a feature that lets a user write a prompt for a playlist and receive a unique set of songs based on the user's earlier behavior — Spotify announced on Wednesday that, for the first time, it's giving users more control over the streaming service's algorithm.
Discussion:
Spotify, Bloomberg, Billboard, Android Authority, Gizmodo, Anna Lundström on LinkedIn, Rasmus Zwickson on LinkedIn, Engadget, The Verge, @techcrunch.com, How-To Geek and T3
Kara Voght / Washington Post:
A profile of Brian Glenn, Real America's Voice WH reporter and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's boyfriend, who is giving up his WH gig after the Trump-MTG split — The day before Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she was quitting Congress, her boyfriend was outside the White House.
Joe Wilkins / Futurism:
McDonald's Netherlands pulls an AI-generated Christmas ad, made by ad agency TBWA\NEBOKO with film production company The Sweetshop, after social media backlash — There's just one issue: pretty much everybody hates it. — This year, McDonald's decided to get in on the corporate slopfest …
Discussion:
HuffPost, Fox Business, @yfcherries, SiliconANGLE, NewsMax.com, Ad Age, @joncomms, BBC, Mashable, @richarderoeper, @aishamadeit, Breitbart, @disabilitystor1.bsky.social, @chatgpt21, @lukemiani, Wagner James Au on LinkedIn, @writerofscratch, @mattwalshblog, Times of India, @cinephiliabeyond.org, @lucian_armasu, eWeek, @echotrx, @gnoofiest, Newser, @peterwildeford, Wil Reynolds on LinkedIn, @octanesam, Entertainment Weekly, @girldrawsghosts, ZeroHedge News, @saberspark, @erulez_23, @andymasley, @jacksfilms, @ronaldmannak, @firagawalkwthme, WCNC-TV, WinBuzzer, @culturecrave, @mutantastronaut.bsky.social, @spookycutewitch.bsky.social, @bcmerchant.bsky.social, New York Post, TheJournal.ie, Instapundit, Interesting Engineering, The Sun, Orlando Sentinel, The A.V. Club, Gizmodo, Forbes, Digital Trends, The Verge, Kotaku and IJR, more at Techmeme »
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
Reddit starts a limited test of verified profiles, an opt-in feature that places a gray checkmark beside the usernames of notable people or businesses — Reddit is starting a limited test of verified profiles, which places a grey checkmark beside the username of a notable person or business.
Discussion:
Tech Times, WeRSM, Android Police, @techcrunch.com, Reddit Upvoted, Social Media Today, The Verge, Reuters and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Amazon plans to let authors offer their DRM-free ebooks in the EPUB and PDF formats through Kindle Direct Publishing, starting January 20, 2026 — Amazon says it will allow authors to offer their DRM-free e-books in the EPUB and PDF formats through its self-publishing platform, Kindle Direct Publishing.
Discussion:
Thurrott, Pocket-lint and Android Authority, more at Techmeme »
Lauren Johnson / Adweek:
Shopify launches Product Network, an ad tool that lets merchants recommend and advertise products on other merchants' storefronts — Shopify is taking a big step forward in its much-watched advertising business. The e-commerce firm is formally rolling out a product that allows its merchants …
Discussion:
Lauren Johnson on LinkedIn, Search Engine Land and AdExchanger
Bloomberg:
Australia's under-16 social media ban excludes Discord, GitHub, LEGO Play, Roblox, Steam, Google Classroom, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and YouTube Kids — Young teenagers in Australia have been barred from social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok in one of the toughest crackdowns …
Discussion:
HotAir, @davezatz, Forbes, Blaze Media, @nvbinder.io and CNBC
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