
Skydance in early talks to acquire The Free Press, NYT reports
The news comes as Skydance is seeking to close its $8.4 billion merger with Paramount Global (PARA.O), opens new tab, which is awaiting approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
The Free Press, co-founded by former New York Times journalist Bari Weiss, describes itself as a platform committed to independent journalism.
Ellison and Weiss have discussed several potential collaborations, including a role for Weiss in shaping CBS News' editorial direction, though not in a managerial capacity, the report added.
Last week, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to resolve a civil suit filed by by U.S. President Donald Trump against Paramount-owned CBS News.
This week, Weiss and Ellison are attending the annual Allen & Company conference in Sun Valley, the NYT report said.
Skydance and The Free Press did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
The Free Press has more than 30 investors, including Yael Aflalo, the founder of Reformation, and Bobby Kotick, the former chief executive of Activision Blizzard, the report added.
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Reuters
15 minutes ago
- Reuters
China soybean imports hit record July high on strong Brazil exports, US trade uncertainties
BEIJING, Aug 7 (Reuters) - China's soybean imports rose to the highest ever for the month of July, a Reuters calculation of customs data showed on Thursday, driven by strong Brazilian exports and ongoing China-U.S. trade uncertainties that have raised supply concerns. The world's largest soybean consumer brought in 11.67 million metric tons in July, data from the General Administration of Customs showed, up 18.5% from 9.85 million tons a year earlier, and above analysts' expectations of 10.48 million tons. "This suggests the market is preparing for potential uncertainties arising from China-U.S. trade tensions," said Rosa Wang, an analyst at Shanghai-based agro-consultancy JCI, who expects imports to remain above 10 million tons in August and September. Most beans are expected to come from top soy supplier Brazil. "Brazil's abundant soybean production has provided a strong supply foundation. Due to its bumper harvest, the peak supply period for Brazilian soybeans is expected to be longer than in previous years, remaining at a high level leading up to the fourth quarter," said Wan Chengzhi, an analyst at Capital Jingdu Futures. Shipments for the first seven months of the year totaled 61.04 million tons, up 4.6% year-on-year, the Customs data showed. July imports were down 4.8% from June, the data showed. Concerns over the trade disputes between the U.S. and China have fuelled soybean supply fears for the fourth quarter, with local feed mills on Tuesday booking around 1.9 million tons of soymeal for October to January deliveries, the biggest single-day purchase of 2025. China has yet to book any U.S. soybean cargoes for the fourth quarter as buyers await the outcome of China-U.S. trade negotiations. "Overall, a temporary mismatch between supply and demand for imported soybeans in China's domestic market may occur in the fourth quarter," Wan said. Still, China is facing a soymeal supply glut, as record imports earlier in 2025 combined with weak demand from animal feed producers have increased domestic soymeal inventories, Reuters has previously reported.


Reuters
17 minutes ago
- Reuters
China's exports top forecasts as shippers rush to meet tariff deadline
BEIJING, Aug 7 (Reuters) - China's exports beat forecasts in July, as manufacturers made the most of a fragile tariff truce between Beijing and Washington to ship goods, especially to Southeast Asia, before tougher U.S. duties targeting transshipment take effect. Global traders and investors are waiting to see whether the world's two largest economies can agree on a durable trade deal by August 12 or if global supply chains will again be upended by the return of import levies exceeding 100%. U.S. President Donald Trump has raised the prospect of further tariffs, including a 40% duty on goods rerouted to the U.S. via transit hubs, that took effect on Thursday, as well as a 100% levy on chips and pharmaceutical products, and an additional 25% tax on goods from countries that buy Russian oil. China's outbound shipments rose 7.2% year-on-year in July, customs data showed on Thursday, beating a forecast 5.4% increase in a Reuters poll of economists and accelerating from June's 5.8% growth. China's trade war truce with the U.S. - the world's top consumer market - ends next week, although Trump hinted further tariffs may come Beijing's way due to its continuing purchases of Russian hydrocarbons. Imports grew 4.1%, defying economists' expectations for a 1.0% fall and climbing from a 1.1% rise in June, pointing to improving domestic demand as policymakers step up efforts to encourage households to boost spending. "The trade data suggests that the Southeast Asian markets play an ever more important role in U.S.-China trade," said Xu Tianchen, senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit. "But it's not all about the transshipments that Trump seeks to stop, ASEAN countries are also importing raw materials and components from China before exporting finished products to the U.S.," he added. China's exports to the U.S. fell 21.67% last month from a year earlier, the data showed, while shipments to ASEAN rose 16.59% over the same period. Trump said on Tuesday the U.S. was close to a trade deal with China and that he would meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping before the end of the year if the world's two largest economies could come to an agreement. China's July trade surplus narrowed to $98.24 billion from $114.77 billion in June. Separate data from the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis on Tuesday showed the U.S. trade gap with China shrank to its lowest in more than 21 years in June. Chinese government advisers are stepping up calls to make the household sector's contribution to broader economic growth a top priority at Beijing's upcoming five-year policy plan, as trade tensions and deflation threaten the outlook. And top leaders have vowed to step up regulation of aggressive price-cutting by Chinese companies that is pushing prices ever lower. But economists warn that reversing the current deflationary slump will be far more difficult than during the last round of supply-side reforms a decade ago, as the downturn now poses a broader threat to employment, which Chinese leaders have emphasised is a core component of social stability. Reaching an agreement with the United States — and with the European Union, which has accused China of producing and selling goods too cheaply — would give Chinese officials more room to advance their reform agenda. However, analysts expect little relief from Western trade pressures. Export growth is projected to slow sharply in the second half of the year, hurt by persistently high tariffs, President Trump's renewed crackdown on the rerouting of Chinese shipments and deteriorating relations with the EU.


The Guardian
39 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump threatens to ‘federalize' DC after attack on Doge staffer
Donald Trump is threatening to strip Washington DC of its local governance and place the US capital under direct federal control, citing what he described as rampant youth crime following an alleged assault on a federal employee who worked for the so-called 'department of government efficiency' (Doge). In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president said he would 'federalize' the city if local authorities failed to address crime, specifically calling for minors as young as 14 to be prosecuted as adults. 'Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control,' Trump wrote. 'If D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run.' The threat received backing from Elon Musk, after the billionaire described an incident in which a member of the Doge team was allegedly 'severely beaten to the point of concussion' while defending a woman from assault in the capital. 'A few days ago, a gang of about a dozen young men tried to assault a woman in her car at night in DC,' Musk posted on X. 'A @Doge team member saw what was happening, ran to defend her and was severely beaten to the point of concussion, but he saved her. It is time to federalize DC.' The victim was identified by friends and the police as Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old known as 'Big Balls', one of Doge's most recognizable staffers who joined Doge in January. He reportedly left in June, and is currently employed at the Social Security Administration. According to a police report obtained by Politico, Coristine was assaulted at approximately 3am on Sunday by about 10 juveniles near Dupont Circle. Police arrested two 15-year-olds from Maryland, a boy and a girl, as they attempted to flee the scene, and charged them with attempted carjacking. A black iPhone 16 valued at $1,000 was reported stolen during the incident. Trump's post, which included images of a bloodied and shirtless Coristine, concluded: 'If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this City. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' Washington DC currently operates under 'home rule', established in 1973, which grants the city an elected mayor and council while maintaining ultimate congressional oversight. No president has attempted to revoke this arrangement since its creation. Trump's threat could theoretically take several forms. The constitution grants Congress broad authority over the federal district, though completely suspending local governance would probably require congressional legislation. Trump could also deploy federal law enforcement officers or national guard troops under executive authority, as he did during 2020 protests when federal forces cleared Lafayette Square outside the White House over local officials' objections. But fully stripping the city's home rule would probably face fierce Democratic opposition in Congress. Any such move would require congressional legislation that Democrats could block or attempt to challenge in federal courts. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion The president targeted DC's juvenile justice system specifically. 'The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these 'minors' as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14,' he wrote, referring to alleged attackers he described as 'local thugs' and putting the word 'youths' in quotation marks. Washington DC, with a population of about 700,000, has seen violent crime decline in the first half of 2025 compared with the previous year, and 2024 marked a 30-year low, according to a pre-Trump January report by the Department of Justice. The Democratic-controlled city has frequently clashed with Trump over federal interventions and has long sought statehood, which would grant it full self-governance and congressional representation – which Republican lawmakers have opposed. The office of the DC mayor, Muriel Bowser, declined a request for comment.