Top News:
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
A coalition of 12 states led by California files an antitrust lawsuit to block Paramount's WBD merger, alleging it lessens competition in three markets — A coalition of 12 states filed an antitrust lawsuit on Monday to block the merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, TechCrunch, State of California, NPR, The Guardian, CNN, Wall Street Journal, The Wrap, Quartz, Financial Times, Graphic Policy, Bloomberg, @jeremymbarr, New York Times, @bedoyausa, Politico, @danielnmiller, @garyheff, @eriqgardner, @alexweprin, @tdogmedia.bsky.social, @gigibsohn, NBC Los Angeles, @brianstelter, Consequence, @richardrushfield, @rogoswami, @profpaulnary, @agrobbonta, KRON4, @laurenshirsch, @ddayen, Annotated DC and New York Post, more at Techmeme »
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Rohan Goswami / Semafor:
Sources: David Ellison's advisers are urging him to move Paramount's HQ and much of its spending out of California if AG Rob Bonta sues to block the WBD merger — The Scoop — As California tries to derail Paramount's $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery …
Discussion:
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Dade Hayes / Deadline:
Paramount says states' lawsuit “reflects a fundamentally flawed application of the antitrust laws” and the delay “will only harm entertainment workers” — Paramount hit back at an antitrust lawsuit filed Monday by attorneys general of 12 states seeking to block …
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
Oregon's AG withdraws a motion to delay the Paramount-WBD merger while he sought company documents; EU agencies and some state AGs are still examining the deal
Oregon's AG withdraws a motion to delay the Paramount-WBD merger while he sought company documents; EU agencies and some state AGs are still examining the deal
Discussion:
CBS News, Axios, NewsMax.com, Seoul Economic Daily, Lawyer Monthly, Media Play News, Deadline, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, The Verge, Reuters, Benzinga, Variety and Gadget Review
New York Times:
Sources: the White House directed FBI Director Kash Patel to personally oversee the probe into NYT reporting about Air Force One, before subpoenas were issued — The F.B.I. director spent about eight hours at the White House Friday focused on the effort, which led to the subpoenaing …
Discussion:
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Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
The Trump administration issued subpoenas to several NYT reporters after the outlet reported on security concerns involving the new Qatari-donated Air Force One — The Justice Department is seeking to compel testimony from reporters who wrote about the new Air Force One. The Times called the move a “brazen act.”
Discussion:
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Natalie Korach / Status:
Memo: NYT CEO Meredith Kopit Levien says the five reporters subpoenaed by the DOJ, and the whole newsroom, have the “full weight of The Times” behind them — Over the last few days, as The New York Times braces for a potential precedent-setting legal showdown with the Trump administration …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, @protecttruth.bsky.social, @jayrosen.bsky.social, @tim_bays, CNN, Washington Post, Mediaite and The Independent
The Guardian:
Christopher Nolan says there's a “disdain” for AI, the idea that it “replaces” human creativity is “nonsense”, and he expects it to be useful in “imaging tools” — Odyssey director addresses industry fears over artificial intelligence …
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Lionsgate's Michael crosses $1B at the global box office, its first film to reach the milestone, per Rentrak, reviving Hollywood's last major independent studio — Shunned by bigger studios as too risky, “Michael” and other hits have revived Hollywood's last major independent studio. But is it enough?
Discussion:
Variety, UPI, The Wrap, Media Play News, Gamereactor UK and Deadline
Scott Nover / Washington Post:
Four ex-VOA employees and contractors discuss their new careers in real estate, communications, interpreting, and at Trader Joe's since they lost their VOA jobs — At Trader Joe's, a coffee shop, a military hospital and a real estate firm, top international broadcasters are embracing second acts they never asked for.
Discussion:
The Newsguy at the Newslab
Max Goldbart / Deadline:
The UK's culture secretary Lisa Nandy says she backs an expansion of the BBC license fee to include subscribers to streamers, though many ideas remain in play — The UK's Culture Secretary has publicly signaled that she backs an expansion of the BBC license fee to include subscribers to streamers like Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video.
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Disney says its live-action Moana was set to collect ~$43M at the Box Office over the weekend, below its $60M goal, and just ~$95M worldwide; Moana cost ~$250M — The live-action remake took in roughly $43 million over the weekend in North America, about 30 percent less than Disney had expected.
Discussion:
Comic Book, The Wrap, TechRadar, UPI, Forbes, GamesRadar, Oh No They Didn't!, CinemaBlend, Bloomberg, Media Play News, Deseret News and Deadline
Gautam Malkani / The Guardian:
The Guardian's tech team share their shoe-leather experiences covering AI data centers, as field investigation becomes increasingly important in tech coverage — The Guardian's global tech reporting team are investigating the impact of the vast datacentres being built to power the AI revolution.
