Latest news with #FederalBriberyStatute
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Paramount Offers Millions To Trump To End $20B ‘60 Minutes' Suit & Let Skydance Merger Go Through
Donald Trump and Paramount don't have a deal yet to settle POTUS' months old $20 billion 60 Minutes lawsuit, but the Shari Redstone ruled media company has put some serious millions on the table in the hopes to make this roadblock to a merger with Skydance disappear. 'It's very early days,' a source close to talks between Trump's lawyers and Paramount's attorneys and execs tells Deadline. 'An opening offer has been made, but more negotiations are underway,' the source confirmed, but would not go into specifics beyond saying 'right now, it's an eight-figure discussion.' More from Deadline 'Don't Ever Say What You Said': Donald Trump Fumes At Reporter For Asking About Wall Street's Notion That He Always 'Chickens Out' On Tariffs Democratic Senators Warn Paramount's Shari Redstone That Trump Lawsuit Settlement May Violate Federal Bribery Statute Judge Declines To Immediately Block Trump's Effort To Fire Register Of Copyrights In the waning days of last year's bitter election, Trump went after long time foil CBS over the way that 60 Minutes had edited a wide ranging interview with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Asking for a headline grabbing $20 billion, the Hail Mary action alleged violations of Texas' Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which is typically used by consumers for false advertising claims. Earlier today, The Wall Street Journal reported that Paramount has offered $15 million, but Trump's team wanted $25 million and an apology from CBS News. When asked by Deadline if the $15 million number that the WSJ reported today plus Trump's team rejection and threat of a new suit was accurate, another individual with knowledge of the mediation replied, 'sounds about right, as where things are at.' A rep for Paramount declined to comment on the state of the bargaining or the WSJ story Wednesday on the sums being discussed President Trump's legal team and the White House did not respond to Deadline's request for comment. Since first filing his 60 Minutes suit in October 2024, Trump handily beat the then-VP Harris and returned to the White House. Even before his second inauguration as tech overlords, moguls and CEOs began to bend the knee, Trump secured a $15 million and more payout from Disney over a March 2024 edition of ABC's This Week where George Stephanopoulos said that 'juries have found' Trump 'liable for rape.' Parsing the legal distinction, Trump was actually found liable early last year by a civil jury for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll – an outcome the former and current POTUS has constantly ridiculed. As well as handing Trump a win and some cash, the Bob Iger-run media giant's resolution of then candidate's defamation suit set the tone for Trump 2.0, even as companies and executives that have sought to curry favor found themselves just as quickly back in the firing line. Opening promising to go after his enemies real and imagined, Trump quickly launched a Project 2025 fueled purging of the federal government (with the help of his top backer Elon Musk) and instituted more Viktor Orbán inspired attacks on the media. To that, the prospect of a settlement in Trump's 60 Minutes suit has rattled CBS News and the acclaimed newsmagazine series in particular, as leaders have been resistant to such a move. Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, resigned last month, saying that he could no longer get the independence that the show has long enjoyed from the parent corporation. Wendy McMahon, the president and CEO of CBS News and Stations, earlier this month announced her departure. She was a defender of the news division amid concerns over the settlement. Even as the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders warned Redstone that any deal with Trump could constitute a violation of federal bribery laws, some CBS News staffers took McMahon's exit as a sign that a settlement could be imminent. They might be correct, at least from what we are hearing today and the thrust of the WSJ piece. Still, even in that context, Trump's 60 Minutes lawsuit is widely seen as meritless. Yet, the litigation comes as CBS' parent company Paramount Global and majority shareholder Redstone are desperate for the administration to grant regulatory approval for its multi-billion dollar merger with Skydance. The David Ellison-led Skydance, with a little help from patriarch Larry Ellison, and backer RedBird Capital agreed in July to acquire Paramount Global with an $8 billion investment, capping a bumpy seven-month courtship. But the drama continued as the deal requires approval by the FCC, currently headed by Chair Brendan Carr, personally promoted by Trump. It's been slow going and the would-be partners saw a 90-day extension set off in April. Defying what anyone with realpolitick eyes can plainly see, Carr has insisted that the president's lawsuit against CBS is a totally separate track from the merger consideration. Over the weekend, a commencement speech from 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley a few weeks ago went viral and drew strong and immediate scorn from MAGA media Speaking to Wake Forest University graduates, Pelley said that 'our sacred rule of law is under attack. Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack. Freedom of speech is under attack. An insidious fear is reaching through our schools, our businesses, our homes and into our private thoughts. The fear to speak. In America?' As for that looming threat of Trump launching a new lawsuit against CBS and perhaps Paramount, this is what POTUS' attorney, Ed Paltzik, said last week:'During ongoing settlement talks, CBS News and Paramount aired a new, defamatory 60 Minutes segment regarding President Trump's legitimate and necessary executive orders addressing unlawful activity in the legal profession, including election interference and employment discrimination. CBS and Paramount's attempts to subvert the legal process with lies and smears may necessitate additional corrective legal action, which President Trump reserves the right to pursue.' Not too many lines you need to read between there to know what's up: Trump wants money and a pound of media flesh. Best of Deadline 'The Morning Show' Season 4: Everything We Know So Far 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Live Nation Adds Trump Confidant, Kennedy Center Head Richard Grenell To Board Amid DOJ Antitrust Lawsuit
Giant Live Nation has named Richard Grenell, an close confidant and ally of President Donald Trump recently in the headlines for slamming Les Misérables actors and Lin Manuel Miranda, to its board of directors. The ticketing and concert promotion juggernaut and venue owner unveiled its latest director in the midst of landmark antitrust lawsuit against it by former President Joe Biden's Department of Justice a year ago. The DOJ and 30 state and district attorneys general filed the civil suit against Live Nation Entertainment and its wholly-owned subsidiary Ticketmaster for 'monopolization and other unlawful conduct that thwarts competition in markets across the live entertainment industry.' The lawsuit includes a request for 'structural relief,' meaning forcing the company to break up. More from Deadline Violent & Jealous Sean "Diddy" Combs Demanded $20K "Recoup", Cassie Ventura's Mother Testifies In Sex-Trafficking Trial; Family Had To Take Out Home Loan To Pay Multi-Millionaire Steven Paul's SP Media, In Wake Of Jon Voight Plan, Acquires Avenue Six Studios To Boost Hollywood Production Democratic Senators Warn Paramount's Shari Redstone That Trump Lawsuit Settlement May Violate Federal Bribery Statute A DOJ spokesperson wasn't immediately available for comment. Live Nation said Grenell 'brings decades of experience in diplomacy and negotiations, having served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Acting Director of National Intelligence, Presidential Envoy for Kosovo-Serbia Negotiations and Presidential Envoy for Special Missions. Mr. Grenell also currently serves as the President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he oversees operations and programming at one of the nation's premier cultural institutions. 'His career experience will help support Live Nation's mission to bring more live music to the world, while also advocating for industry reforms that protect both fans and artistss,' Live Nation's announcement read. 'We are pleased to welcome Ric to our Board,' said Randall Mays, Chairman of the Board of Live Nation Entertainment. 'His background will bring a valuable perspective as Live Nation continues to contribute to a growing live music industry around the globe.' Trump named Grenell interim president of the Kennedy Center, where he also installed himself as chairman and fired half of the board members, shortly after taking office. Grenell has blasted entertainers who won't perform at the venerable Washington, D.C. venue due to Trump's newfound involvement with the venerable arts institution. 'The power of live performances to bring people together while boosting local economies is transformative,' said Grenell. 'I'm proud to join the board and support Live Nation's efforts to grow this positive impact of concerts around the world.' Ted Johnson contributed to this report Best of Deadline Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds All The 'Mission: Impossible' Movies In Order - See Tom Cruise's 30-Year Journey As Ethan Hunt
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
CBS Vs. Trump Flashback: Seven Times ‘The Good Fight' Trashed 45-47
Given the circumstances surrounding Donald Trump's lawsuit against 60 Minutes and how the news division is apparently under pressure to temper its criticism of the current administration, it seems hard to believe that just a few years ago, a CBS-owned show all but declared war on the president. In all six seasons of The Good Fight, creators Robert and Michelle King never passed up a chance to weave one of Trump's many scandals into the narrative, from the infamous pee tape episode to accusations that he raped an underage girl. More from Deadline Democratic Senators Warn Paramount's Shari Redstone That Trump Lawsuit Settlement May Violate Federal Bribery Statute Wendy McMahon Resigns As CEO Of CBS News And Stations: 'It's Become Clear That The Company And I Do Not Agree On The Path Forward' Everything We Know About 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 So Far The result was unmerciful but gloriously funny, especially when Christine Baranski's liberal Diane Lockhart hallucinated news reports about Trump keeping a potbellied pig in the White House map room. (The ol' girl was so verklempt over the state of the world, she started to microdose to make it through her days). Shari Redstone's Viacom didn't reunite with CBS until 2019 but she still had financial control of CBS and subsequently CBS All Access (which has since become Paramount+). Anyway, it's nice to remember that, once upon a time, the company really didn't give a sh*t about pissing off 45-47. Here are some of the more memorable moments: Reddick, Boseman represents a TV writer whose episode for a Law & Order-type show was pulled by the network because it mirrored real-life accusations against Trump that he assaulted a 13-year-old girl. A DNC consultant played by Margo Martindale approaches Reddick, Boseman and Lockhart to develop an impeachment strategy against Trump. (All episodes from season 2 were chronologically based on Trump's days in the White House.) While microdosing, Diane hallucinates a news story about Trump bringing goats to the European Summit. A Russian woman facing deportation seeks legal help from Diane after appearing on the pee tape at the Moscow Ritz with Trump. Diane is urged to join a women's resistance group to 'take the fight to Trump.' The firm is asked to take on a class action suit against a voting machine manufacturer after a woman who supported Hillary Clinton realized her vote was changed to Trump on a paperless apparatus. And then of course, there was this animated short from Jonathan Coulton and Head Gear that included the line, 'your tiny hands will scratch and claw but nobody's above the law.' Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds All The 'Mission: Impossible' Movies In Order - See Tom Cruise's 30-Year Journey As Ethan Hunt Denzel Washington's Career In Pictures: From 'Carbon Copy' To 'The Equalizer 3'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Violent & Jealous Sean 'Diddy' Combs Demanded $20K 'Recoup,' Cassie Ventura's Mother Tells Sex-Trafficking Trial; Family Had To Take Out Home Loan To Pay Multi-Millionaire
Cassie Ventura's mother wasn't on the stand long today in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex-trafficking trial, but she certainly offered a damning glimpse at the violent and manipulative self-described 'toxic relationship' her daughter had with the Bad Boy Records founder for over a decade – and how costly it was literally and figuratively. Coming into court after mixed testimony from Combs' former assistant David James concluded, Regina Ventura told the jurors Tuesday 'I was scared for my daughter's safety' during the 2007 – 2018 period the 'Me & U' singer and Diddy were together on and off. More from Deadline Steven Paul's SP Media, In Wake Of Jon Voight Plan, Acquires Avenue Six Studios To Boost Hollywood Production Democratic Senators Warn Paramount's Shari Redstone That Trump Lawsuit Settlement May Violate Federal Bribery Statute 'The Daily Show's Jon Stewart Mocks Media Praising Trump For "Not Taking Cancer's Side" In Biden Statement Under questioning from the prosecution this morning and with Combs seated nearby in his courtroom sweater and button-down look, the Ventura matriarch explained her response came after her daughter alarmingly emailed her just before Christmas 2011. During this time, Ventura had broken things off with Combs and was in a semi-secret relationship with rapper/actor Kid Cudi (a.k.a. Scott Mescudi) to the mini-mogul's clear displeasure, as Judge Arun Subramanian and the jury have heard several times since this trial started on May 12. Read out in the lower Manhattan courtroom Tuesday by the elder Ventura that December 23, 2011 correspondence from Cassie Ventura to her mother said: 'The threats that have been made towards me by Sean 'Puffy' Combs are that are that he is going to release 2 explicit sex tapes of me. One on Christmas Day, maybe before or right after and another one sometime soon after that. He has also said that he will be having someone hurt me and Scott Mescudi physically.' Kicked off in a large degree due to the quickly settled ($20 million) abuse and assault suit Cassie Ventura filed in November 2023, the criminal trial of the much-accused Combs officially began when the 'I Need A Girl' performer was arrested in September last year on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and more. If found guilty in what has already been a sordid trial after just one week and amid rumors of Combs' entourage angling for a pardon from Donald Trump, the 55-year-old Diddy will likely be behind bars for the rest of his life. Today, Regina Ventura told the judge, jury and onlookers that she felt 'physically sick' when she got the email. That reaction intensified when her daughter arrived home in Connecticut for the holidays and the elder Ventura says she saw up-close the bruises and wounds on her body – allegedly from a beating by Combs. 'She was bruised, and I wanted to make sure that we memorialized it,' Regina Ventura added of her decision to take photos of Cassie. The jury were shown the photos in court. 'The sex tapes threw me,' the elder Ventura also said Tuesday. 'I did not know the other person, but I knew that he was going to try to hurt my daughter.' To that, enraged that Cassie Ventura was with Kid Cudi at that point, Combs supposedly contacted Ventura's parents to demand payment to 'recoup money' he said had spent on his then former and future girlfriend. Specifically, the multi-millionaire Combs wanted $20, 000 from the Venturas, ASAP. The Venturas arranged quickly to get a home equity loan to meet Combs' demand. 'That's the only way we could get the money,' the mother of two told the court today. With instructions from Combs' staff, the cash was wired to him that holiday season. Oddly, around New Year's Eve, the $20,000 was wired back with no explanation. Once Combs and Cassie Ventura were back together it was never mentioned, the elder Ventura stated. Set to handle the cross-examination of Regina Ventura, defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo kept it very short. ''I don't have any questions for you,' the attorney said, and the elder Ventura left the stand and the courtroom soon afterwards. Regina Ventura was followed in the witness box by Sharay Hayes. The male escort who was first hired by Combs and Cassie Ventura for a 'freak-off' in New York in late 2021 had previously made an appearance in the trial last week when his photograph was put up on the courtroom screens as one of the half-a-dozen male escorts that were brought on board repeatedly for 'freak-offs' over the years. Perhaps more tellingly, Hayes went by the moniker 'the Punisher.' Deftly trying to get in front of the feds' claims of a criminal enterprise of drug-fueled and frequently filmed 'freak-off' sex marathon, male escorts, blackmail, coercion and relentless violence, the Agnifilo, Teny Geragos and Brian Steel-led defense in their opening statement acknowledged their client has committed domestic violence, is a drug user and not the greatest guy. However, Geragos stressed in her pitch to the jury on May 12, that doesn't make him guilty of the indictment the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York have charged him with. Another element of the defense's strategy is to taint Ventura and other accusers and witness as being essentially gold digger or star f*ckers looking to get ahead. Revelations like the May 16 one that Ventura is getting a $10 million settlement from LA's InterContinental Hotel, where security footage captured Combs beating the crap out of her in March 2016, added to that narrative. Simultaneously, with his much- mentioned allegedly enabling inner circle not defendants in this case, Combs faces dozens of civil cases detailing similar stories of drugs, violent, rape and more. Repeatedly denied bail and incarcerated in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since last fall, Combs has insisted the only thing he is guilty of is having unconventional lifestyle with other consenting adults, regardless of what the police, the Department of Justice, some ex-staffers, or under oath accusers like his very pregnant ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura says. Still, as the defense's decision this morning to decline cross-examination of the regal Regina Ventura made clear, sometimes it is best to walk away to save yourself from things not going your way. Running from 9 am – 3 pm ET daily for the unsequestered jury, Combs' sex-trafficking trial is anticipated to last eight to 10 weeks. Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds All The 'Mission: Impossible' Movies In Order - See Tom Cruise's 30-Year Journey As Ethan Hunt Denzel Washington's Career In Pictures: From 'Carbon Copy' To 'The Equalizer 3'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Marcus Mabry Joins MSNBC As Senior Vice President Of Content Strategy
Marcus Mabry is joining MSNBC as senior vice president of content strategy, in which he will be tasked with overseeing the network's current and future digital products and for how it connects with non-liear audiences. Mabry has been at CNN, most recently as senior vice president of digital editorial and programming for CNN Worldwide. More from Deadline Democratic Senators Warn Paramount's Shari Redstone That Trump Lawsuit Settlement May Violate Federal Bribery Statute Live Video Startup 2WAY Adds Three New Shows Including 'The Group Chat' Donald Trump Calls Disney Abu Dhabi Resort "Incredible" After Meeting With Bob Iger, But POTUS Then Threatens ABC With New Lawsuit 'He will lead the development of new, innovative consumer experiences for MSNBC, including identifying new revenue streams for the network, and will oversee the network's growing direct-to-consumer, subscription and premium businesses,' MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler wrote in a memo to employees. He will start on Tuesday and report to Kutler. He'll also work with with Madeleine Haeringer, who joined the network last month as senior VP of digital, audio and longform. Mabry also will oversee MSNBC Live, the network's live events business. Lauren Peikoff will continue as executive producer, reporting to Mabry. At CNN, Mabry led the digital editorial and programming teams and was responsible for the homepage, mobile and off-platform alerting and publishing and engagement support across the network's businesses. Before CNN, he was the first North American editor of Twitter 'Moments,' the social media platform's news offering. He previously was at The New York Times, and he served as a foreign correspondent, including as Africa bureau chief for Newsweek. He is the author of two books, Twice As Good: Condoleezza Rice and Her Path to Power and White Bucks and Black-Eyed Peas: Coming Of Age Black In White America. Mabry's hiring is the latest at MSNBC as it prepares to be spun off from Comcast. The new company, Versant, will include MSNBC, CNBC and other cable networks and brands. Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds All The 'Mission: Impossible' Movies In Order - See Tom Cruise's 30-Year Journey As Ethan Hunt Denzel Washington's Career In Pictures: From 'Carbon Copy' To 'The Equalizer 3'
