Trump Ally Pledges Major CNN Changes if Paramount Wins Warner Bros. Takeover
A major political and corporate showdown is unfolding around the future of American media, with billionaire technology entrepreneur Larry Ellison and his son David Ellison playing a central role.
At the heart of the drama is the future of CNN and a potential reshaping of the U.S. media landscape.
Sources familiar with the situation say the Ellisons have privately reassured Donald Trump that if their company, Paramount Global, successfully completes its proposed $108 billion hostile takeover of Warner Bros.
Discovery, they would carry out sweeping changes at CNN—an outlet Trump has frequently criticized and labeled as “fake news.”
The Paramount bid emerged shortly after Netflix announced a $72 billion agreement to acquire Warner’s film studio and HBO operations. Under Netflix’s structure, however, CNN would not be included and would instead be spun off as a separate entity.
Paramount’s proposal takes a different approach. The Ellisons’ offer specifically includes CNN, and insiders say they plan to dramatically transform the network if the deal goes through.
According to reports, during private discussions in Washington, David Ellison told senior officials aligned with Trump that CNN would face a “fundamental cultural and editorial transformation” under Paramount ownership. His father, Larry Ellison, reportedly raised the possibility of removing several well-known CNN anchors, including Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar—both of whom have been publicly criticized by Trump in the past.
One White House official said the president believes CNN’s current leadership is openly hostile toward him and that he favors new ownership that would bring major programming changes.
The Ellisons have also been working to build trust with Trump while the U.S. Department of Justice reviews the competing deals.
The Antitrust Division—ultimately overseen by the president—will decide whether either merger can proceed. Recently, Larry and David Ellison were spotted with Trump in the presidential box during the Kennedy Center Honors, just two days before Paramount revealed its counteroffer.
Reports also indicate that Larry Ellison personally called Trump following the Netflix-Warner announcement, warning that a Netflix takeover could give Silicon Valley enormous influence over the streaming industry and reduce competition.
David Ellison has publicly outlined a broader vision for merging CNN with CBS News into a unified news operation. In a CNBC interview, he said the goal would be to create a larger news platform focused on “trust” and “truth,” aimed at appealing to what he describes as the political middle of the American public.
Under the proposed plan, the combined CNN–CBS News organization could be overseen by journalist Bari Weiss, who recently assumed leadership at CBS News. Weiss has promoted a shift toward what some observers call a more “post-woke” editorial approach.
One of her early hires was veteran reporter Matt Gutman, formerly with ABC News, who now serves as CBS’s chief correspondent across multiple programs including CBS Mornings and CBS Evening News.
Gutman recently drew criticism after comments made while reporting on the fatal shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
During a broadcast, he described text messages between the suspect and a partner as “touching” and “intimate,” remarks some viewers felt were inappropriate given the seriousness of the incident. Within a day, Gutman publicly apologized, saying he regretted the wording and condemning the violence.
If the Ellison acquisition succeeds, CNN could be restructured along similar editorial lines as CBS News, reflecting what David Ellison calls a renewed focus on restoring viewer confidence.
Despite occasional frustration, advisers say Trump remains open to the Paramount proposal, partly because it includes CNN while the Netflix deal does not. Privately, he has said he wants significant reforms at the network.
Speaking at a White House roundtable, Trump commented that he is familiar with the companies involved but emphasized the need to review their market share before supporting any deal.
Meanwhile, the competing megamergers have sparked concern across the political spectrum
. Senator Elizabeth Warren warned that the deals could create serious monopoly risks, while Representative Darrell Issa argued that large media consolidations could reduce consumer choice and weaken independent voices.
As one political newsletter summarized, both Netflix and Paramount appear to believe that the ultimate fate of these massive media deals may depend on approval from the White House—making the Oval Office a central player in the battle for control of one of America’s most influential news networks.
My Sister Hit My 6-Month-Old Baby at Christmas Dinner—Then My Husband Stood Up and Said 2 Words
My Sister Hit My 6-Month-Old Baby at Christmas Dinner—Then My Husband Stood Up and Said 2 Words
The entire table went silent.
My mother looked down.
My father said nothing.
No one moved.
Except my husband.
He rose from his chair slowly, calm and completely in control, looked my sister straight in the eyes, and told her to leave.
She never came back after that night.
Christmas dinner at my parents’ house had always been loud, crowded, and slightly exhausting.
But that year felt different from the moment we arrived.
My husband, Captain James Walker, had only recently returned from a long deployment.
Our daughter, Emma, was six months old.
She wore a tiny red Christmas onesie with little reindeer stitched across the front.
It was her very first Christmas.
For us, that alone made the night special.
Then my sister Lauren showed up.
Late, as usual.
She walked through the door carrying a bottle of wine in one hand and a list of complaints in the other.
She barely looked at Emma.
Dinner was already halfway over when Emma started getting fussy.
Nothing unusual.
She was tired, overwhelmed by the noise, and surrounded by people she barely knew.
I stood beside the table, lifted her into my arms, and gently rocked her against my chest.
Lauren immediately rolled her eyes.
“She’s already spoiled,” she said.
“You pick her up every single time she makes a sound.”
I looked at her.
“She’s six months old, Lauren.”
Lauren pushed back her chair and stood.
“Give her to me.”
Before I could answer, she reached for Emma.
I hesitated.
But Lauren had already put her hands out.
The moment Emma felt herself being pulled away from me, she squirmed.
Then she started crying harder.
Lauren’s face tightened.
And before I fully understood what she was doing—
she slapped my baby.
It wasn’t hard enough to leave a visible mark.
But it was hard enough.
Hard enough to make Emma scream.
Hard enough to make every person at that table freeze.
Hard enough to make something inside me snap.
“What did you just do?”
My voice came out louder than I intended.
Lauren stared at me like I was the one behaving badly.
Then she gave a careless little scoff.
“Oh, relax.”
“It was a tap.”
“You’re overreacting.”
I immediately pulled Emma back against my chest.
She was crying so hard she could barely catch her breath.
My hands started shaking as I held her.
My heart pounded against my ribs.
I looked around the table, waiting for someone—anyone—to say something.
My mother stared down at her plate.
My father cleared his throat but never looked at Lauren.
My uncle shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
No one defended Emma.
No one confronted Lauren.
Nothing.
“That was my child,” I said, fighting to keep my voice steady.
“You just hit my baby.”
Lauren folded her arms.
“Oh my God, you’re so dramatic.”
Then she actually laughed.
“Children need discipline.”
I stared at her in disbelief.
“Discipline?”
“She’s six months old.”
Lauren shrugged.
“Then maybe she should learn early.”
Still, nobody at the table said a word.
The silence hurt almost as much as what Lauren had done.
And then—
a chair scraped sharply across the floor.
Everyone turned.
James stood up.
He didn’t slam his hands on the table.
He didn’t shout.
He didn’t curse.
He simply rose to his full height and looked directly at Lauren.
His posture was straight.
His expression was unreadable.
I had seen that look before.
At military ceremonies.
During difficult phone calls.
In moments when everyone around him understood that the conversation was over before he even raised his voice.
“Get out,” James said.
Lauren blinked.
Then she gave a nervous laugh.
“Excuse me?”
James didn’t move.
“You struck my child.”
His voice remained quiet.
Controlled.
“You will leave this house.”
“Now.”
Lauren looked around the table, clearly expecting someone to jump in and defend her.
Nobody did.
Her smile disappeared.
“You’re seriously kicking me out over that?”
James held her gaze.
“I’m telling you to leave because you put your hands on my six-month-old daughter and then laughed about it.”
Lauren’s face reddened.
“This isn’t even your house.”
James took one slow step forward.
“No.”
“It isn’t.”
Then his eyes briefly moved across the silent faces around the table before returning to hers.
“But that is my daughter.”
“And you will never touch her again.”
Lauren opened her mouth to argue.
James didn’t give her the chance.
“If you don’t leave immediately,” he said calmly, “I will…”
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