Senior White House officials have reportedly favored a Paramount-Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, with discussions including potential programming changes at CNN. Larry Ellison, Paramount’s largest shareholder, allegedly discussed removing CNN hosts disliked by Donald Trump, like Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar, and replacing them with CBS assets. These informal conversations, though not in any official capacity, highlight the intense interest in the deal, and Paramount’s bid could be smoothed by White House support, and current regulatory scrutiny is considered unlikely. Other contenders in the deal include Netflix and Comcast.
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A federal appeals court panel upheld the dismissal of Donald Trump’s $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN. The court found Trump’s claims regarding CNN’s use of “the Big Lie” to be “unpersuasive” and determined that the term did not constitute a false statement of fact. The judges, including those nominated by Trump, stated that the term was susceptible to multiple interpretations and that CNN’s use of it, therefore, did not support a defamation claim. This decision is the latest in a series of failed lawsuits by Trump against media outlets reporting on his claims.
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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene received criticism for not speaking out against Trump’s attacks on others, and subsequently, she was targeted with similar rhetoric. Responding on CNN, Greene surprisingly apologized for her role in “toxic politics” and expressed a desire to de-escalate political animosity. She stated that her shift stemmed from a focus on the Epstein files and a commitment to supporting victims. While some questioned the sincerity of Greene’s remarks, others saw the change in tone as a positive step.
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Warner Bros. Discovery has announced a strategic review, indicating a potential sale of the entire company or parts of it, including Warner Bros. studio. The media giant, owning assets like HBO and CNN, has received unsolicited interest from multiple parties. This decision follows industry trends of consolidation, and the company plans to continue its previously announced split of cable networks from its streaming and studio businesses while exploring sale options. The news led to a surge in WBD’s stock value, while the company manages billions of dollars of debt, and a market value of over $45 billion.
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During a CNN “NewsNight” debate, Vice President JD Vance faced criticism for his response to a Politico report detailing racist and offensive messages exchanged in a Young Republicans group chat, where individuals used racial slurs and praised Hitler. Vance downplayed the report by drawing a comparison to messages from former Virginia state lawmaker Jay Jones, arguing he wouldn’t “join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence”. Republican strategist Kristin Davis believed Vance missed an opportunity to encourage those involved to learn and apologize, while other panelists like Keith Boykin expressed disappointment, highlighting the Republican party’s current trajectory.
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The user’s experience with an advertisement was evaluated based on several potential issues. These included problems with video loading, such as slow load times or content failing to appear altogether. Additional concerns covered frozen or incomplete ads, as well as instances where the video content failed to begin after the ad finished playing. Audio volume issues also factored into the user’s evaluation of the ad. Other technical glitches or user experience issues were considered as well.
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During a recent CNN interview, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller experienced a technical issue, causing a pause after he incorrectly stated the President’s “plenary authority” under Title 10. While CNN attributed the issue to a technical glitch, the pause raised eyebrows among viewers. Body language experts analyzed Miller’s nonverbal cues, noting signs of cognitive processing and potentially a moment of self-restraint. These experts suggested the pause could be attributed to cognitive overload, or a moment of deciding how to best bring his response back on track rather than a technical issue.
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The Independent is dedicated to providing on-the-ground reporting and analysis on critical issues. Recently, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene broke with party leadership, appearing on CNN to discuss the government shutdown and the need to address the Affordable Care Act’s expiring tax credits. Greene criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, advocating for a fix to prevent premium increases and suggesting the Senate consider removing the filibuster. Additionally, Greene addressed a disagreement with Senator Ted Cruz regarding death threats. This demonstrates a shifting dynamic within the Republican party and the importance of unbiased news coverage.
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During a recent CNN interview, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller appeared to suggest President Trump possesses “plenary authority,” which implies the president’s power is essentially limitless. This comment, made while discussing the deployment of federal troops to cities, caused Miller to abruptly pause, and the interview was subsequently edited to remove the phrase. Legal experts note that “plenary authority” isn’t explicitly granted to the president under the US Code, and Judge Immergut previously ruled the president’s justifications for deploying troops were baseless. Some analysts suggest Miller’s statements reveal the administration’s view that Trump can unilaterally decide when to invoke emergency powers, and that this is an intentional strategy to polarize the public and consolidate power.
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During a CNN interview, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller stated that President Trump had “plenary authority” regarding the deployment of the National Guard in Oregon, before abruptly cutting himself off. This statement has raised concerns due to the implications of plenary authority, which grants a single official absolute power, contradicting the U.S. system of separation of powers. The use of such authority has drawn comparison to dictators and prompted protests against perceived overreach by the Trump administration. Miller’s silence and the subsequent lack of further clarification have left the meaning behind the statement unclear.
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John Q. Hosedrinker