Warren and 8 AGs torch Paramount deal talks: 'A win only for Ellison'

The fight over the $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery merger is no longer just a courtroom battle. It is now a public political war, with Senator Elizabeth Warren and a coalition of state attorneys general accusing the deal's negotiators of betraying the public interest. In a sharp rebuke, the group called the emerging settlement talks between Paramount, the state AGs, and the Writers Guild of America "a win only for David Ellison," the tech scion behind the proposed merger. The statement lands as reports swirl that a deal to end the antitrust action could be imminent, but the deal's original opponents are making clear they will not go quietly. "As Trump tries to ban CNN," the critics wrote, invoking the former president's attacks on the network, "the AGs are trying to hand the network to his ally." The line captures the political stakes: this is no longer just a corporate transaction, but a flashpoint in the broader war over media consolidation and political influence.