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What’s Hiding In The Paramount Merger Settlement episode artwork

Sep 24, 2026 36 min

What’s Hiding In The Paramount Merger Settlement

from Lever Time Hosted by David Sirota

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other Democratic attorneys general just settled their lawsuit blocking Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The merger is now set to create one of the world’s largest media companies and put CNN and CBS News under the control of David Ellison, son of billionaire and Trump ally Larry Ellison. Bonta says the settlement is a victory — but what’s really in the deal’s fine print? Today on Lever Time, Natalie Bettendorf sits down with former FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya and antitrust legal expert Lee Hepner to explore what’s hiding in the merger settlement, why California Gov. Gavin Newsom “chickened out” on the matter, and what it all means for the future of our news and entertainment. You can read more Lever reporting on the merger here. Get ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/join. To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism.

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What’s Hiding In The Paramount Merger Settlement

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This episode was published on September 24, 2026.

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