Hope that a dozen Democratic Attorneys General had spines were dashed this Monday as word has spread they have caved and settled with Paramount in the company’s move to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. While full details have yet to be released, the initial details shows the settlement and focus was only on jobs, not protecting consumers or the media.

A lawsuit was launched by a dozen states to try to stop, or get consolidations, in Paramount’s purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery for $111 billion. The deal would consolidate the media further giving Paramount control over CNN along with Warner Bros.’ massive television and movie catalogue, HBO, HBO Max, DC Comics, and more. The states were joined by the Writers Guild of America.

Paramount played California and its Attorney General Rob Bonta perfectly, threatening to leave the state, threatening to cost it jobs and money, in an election year. The merger itself will cost the state money as well as jobs. It’s damned if you do and damned if you don’t situation. Paramount also was demanding a $1.88 billion bond from the states and WGA to cover possible damages if the case went to trial which was set for March 2027.

Word came out over the weekend that while Bonta wanted to settled, the AGs of New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Nevada were hold outs but eventually came around late Sunday. Bonta “assured them” he’d hold Paramount’s “feet to the fire” that the company stuck to its commitments. those commitments that have been leaked are all job related and have nothing to protect the company from lurching CNN right and playing propaganda for the Trump administration like it has for CBS. David Ellison’s father Larry Ellison is part of a group that has invested in TikTok, a major source of news for younger individuals. Larry Ellison is a friend of Donald Trump, even having been in meetings regarding the January insurrection by Trump. As part of the deal to purchase Paramount, the Ellison’s Skydance pledged to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and establish a CBS News ombudsman position to review bias complaints. Paramount has come under scrutiny for its takeover of CBS News removing its editorial independence for a more right-wing bent calling into question is history of quality journalism. Paramount owner David Ellison appointed Bari Weiss as the head of the news service as well as a conservative to act as its ombudsman, an “internal advocate for journalistic integrity and transparency.” That move by Ellison has tanked ratings for CBS News and 60 Minutes so there’s a chance that he may think about doing the same for CNN.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been pushing for a settlement as he still attempts to run for President in 2028. This should kill any chance he had of that, which was slim to start. His advocating for it again sides him with billionaire oligarchs and big business instead of the general American public. He again shows he’s a Republican wolf in Democratic sheep clothing. There’s a chance it kills Bonta’s future and the other AGs will be facing questions about their approval.

Paramount needed the deal to be completed as soon as possible as the cost of it would begin to increase by $7 million a day if not closed by September 30. With the projected lawsuit from the AGs starting in March 2027, it’d have added about $1.3 billion to Paramount’s cost.

Paramount also was facing the changing tide in American politics. While the Presidency, House, and Senate are currently favorable to them, it’s likely the Democrats will take the House and Senate in November. While it’s unlikely they’d find a spine to stop the deal, the chance greatly increases if they were to.

The deal, which will reportedly be revealed this Monday, involves an investment of $1.5 billion for home-grown film production and protecting and creating jobs, requirements for additional production if the federal government approves tax incentives, and a $47.5 million workforce development fund and to honor existing collective bargaining agreements. Paramount grossed $28.75 billion in 2025 and Warner Bros Discovery annual gross profit for 2025 was $16.411 billion. The amount of money mentioned is nothing for the mega company and likely would include money already going to be spent in domestic production anyways.

Paramount has stated they project $6 billion in cost savings when pitching investors, which is expected to be through significant layoffs.

The deal also puts Paramount into massive debt with 49.5% equity take by Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar, each of them facing issues due to the current war in Iran. Add in the volatile wealth of David Ellison and his father Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle who is also funding the deal. Paramount will likely at some point have to sell assets to pay down debt.

We’ll have more details when they’re officially released.