Latest news with #JonStewart
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Paramount Stock (NASDAQ:PARA) Notches Up Despite Dueling Lawsuits
The news only got worse for entertainment giant Paramount (PARA), as not only was its big new movie Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning dethroned by an adorable blue furball from Disney (DIS), but news also hit that, should it actually settle its lawsuit with President Trump, it would likely find another one waiting in the wings. This proved less than bothersome for investors, though, as shares notched up fractionally in the closing minutes of Tuesday's trading. Confident Investing Starts Here: Word from the Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), which is also a Paramount shareholder, noted much the same thing that a group of senators suggested: settling a lawsuit with President Trump 'could amount to a bribe,' as they would provide this settlement in exchange 'for their approving and not impeding' the merger between Paramount and Skydance. Legal experts, however, have already suggested that this notion is ' a nothing burger ' and largely irrelevant. But the word of those legal experts cut little ice with the FPF, as it planned to '…file a shareholder derivative lawsuit on behalf of Paramount in the event of a settlement by Paramount.' This particular lawsuit would apparently target Shari Redstone, primary shareholder, and the FPF expected '…that other long-term shareholders will join the suit.' Jon Stewart is Concerned Meanwhile, one of the biggest figures of Paramount television, Comedy Central's Jon Stewart of The Daily Show fame, is concerned that the show might face a serious hit as part of any settlement with President Trump. Stewart, in occasionally profane fashion, expressed concerns about the fate of the show citing what happened to 60 Minutes and CBS News. Stewart also cited what happened to a slew of other media properties, before pointing out one other serious sticking point: 'Part of the deal is they have to apologize. And in that moment, these people who have built careers on their excellence and their integrity have to look and go, alright, I hope I've done well enough that I can weather this, but there is no…way that I am going to apologize for doing my job the way it's supposed to be done just because this one guy is offended by it.' Is Paramount Stock a Good Buy Right Now? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on PARA stock based on two Buys, seven Holds and four Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 0.33% loss in its share price over the past year, the average PARA price target of $12.20 per share implies 1.5% upside potential. See more PARA analyst ratings Disclosure Disclaimer & Disclosure Report an Issue
Fox News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Politico list floats 'Democratic shadow cabinet' of political celebrities to combat Trump
Print Close By Lindsay Kornick Published May 27, 2025 Politico writer Bill Scher floated a list of 21 "heavy hitters" ranging from former Biden government officials to comedians on Tuesday to form a "Democratic shadow cabinet" to take on the Trump administration. Scher sought to look beyond the "presidential wannabes" and highlight "accomplished people with the ability to speak plainly and the credibility to puncture the Trump administration's often Orwellian narratives" for his list. One of his examples included New York Attorney General Letitia James serving as "shadow" U.S. Attorney General after her multiple lawsuits against President Donald Trump before and during his second term. TIM WALZ CALLS FOR 'SHADOW GOVERNMENT' TO COUNTER TRUMP ADMIN; SON DUNKS ON FORMER VEEP NOMINEE "Perhaps the most effective Democrats in the country right now are the 22 Democratic state attorneys general tying up Trump's executive orders in the courts. But only one can say she won a civil fraud case against the Trump family business with a $450 million judgement, and that's New York's Letitia James," he wrote. Scher looked beyond politicians and former cabinet members for more unorthodox suggestions, such as comedian Jon Stewart for Secretary of Veteran Affairs and former Golden Globes host Nikki Glaser as Administrator of the Small Business Administration. "OK, hear me out on this one. What is a comedian but a small business entrepreneur and traveling content salesperson?" Scher wrote. "Of course, Nikki Glaser's value to a Democratic shadow Cabinet is not her deep knowledge of how government regulations impact small businesses. It's that she has become America's Roaster-in-Chief, who can fearlessly pick apart the biggest celebrities from Tom Brady to Alec Baldwin." He also suggested Bill Nye to lead the Enviromental Protection Agency and for billionaire Mark Cuban to be the Secretary of Commerce. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE Scher listed more conventional Democratic figures such as Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs as Secretary of Education and Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger as CIA Director. However, he also suggested Gisele Fetterman, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman's wife, as Secretary of Homeland Security based on her experience as an undocumented migrant. "As Trump continues on his aggressive deportation campaign, few in America can better personify and articulate what we lose when we vilify people who loved America enough to choose to live here," Scher wrote. Scher cited Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin's call for a shadow cabinet as part of her address to reform the Democratic Party. Rep. Wiley Nickels, D-N.C., also proposed a shadow cabinet in a Washington Post op-ed after Trump's election in November. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Print Close URL
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Jon Stewart rips boss Shari Redstone for trying to settle Trump ‘60 Minutes' lawsuit: ‘All must pay tribute to the king'
Jon Stewart is publicly torching CBS parent company Paramount Global and its controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, accusing them of capitulating to President Donald Trump's political pressure in order to advance an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. Stewart, star of 'The Daily Show' on Comedy Central, which is a subsidiary of Paramount Global, said the media climate has deteriorated to the point where 'all must pay tribute to the king,' likening recent corporate payouts and newsroom purges to mafia-style extortion. 'They just put money into the pot so that hopefully they don't get [targeted],' Stewart told 'The Bill Simmons Podcast' on Friday. 'They're paying — what does that remind you of, Michael? Protection money. Right? It's protection money.' His comments come as Redstone, who stands to personally gain around $2 billion if the Skydance deal goes through, supported the ouster of CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon — a move sources told The Post signals progress in mediation talks aimed at settling Trump's $20 billion defamation lawsuit against Paramount. The lawsuit alleges CBS deceptively edited a '60 Minutes' interview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris during the 2024 election cycle. Stewart dismissed the lawsuit as a pretext to extract financial concessions. 'It certainly doesn't rise to the level of libel, slander or whatever the f–k else they think they're doing with a $20 billion lawsuit. It was a purely subjective editorial decision,' he said. 'Ultimately, what an awful precedent that these media companies have set.' McMahon was reportedly pushed out after resisting efforts to settle with Trump, which insiders say contributed to the resignation of veteran '60 Minutes' producer Bill Owens. In her resignation memo, McMahon wrote: 'It's become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward.' CBS CEO George Cheeks told staff she would remain for several weeks to assist with the transition. Stewart wasn't subtle in his implication that Redstone was behind the moves, suggesting that top CBS executives were told to issue apologies as part of the merger strategy. 'Imagine paying $50 million for f–king nothing just to get somebody to approve a merger. It's bribery,' he said. 'They have to apologize. And these people looked at it and thought, 'There's no f–king way I'm going to apologize for doing my job the way it's supposed to be done just because this one guy is offended by it.'' Sources told The Post that Skydance executive Jeff Shell had little confidence in McMahon's ability to steer CBS News. Her departure followed multiple controversies, including plummeting ratings, poor newsroom morale and backlash over perceived interference in editorial decisions — such as reprimanding anchor Tony Dokoupil for a tough interview with author Ta-Nehisi Coates on Israel-Hamas tensions. 'I mean, look what they're doing now at '60 Minutes' and CBS News and everything else,' Stewart said. 'I don't know if these institutions I thought would last my lifetime are going to survive this. It's insane.' The 'Daily Show' host broadened his criticism to include other media titans. 'ABC had to pay $15 million. [Amazon founder Jeff] Bezos had to pay $40 million for a documentary on Melania. [Meta CEO Mark] Zuckerberg had to pay,' Stewart said, arguing these were examples of companies bowing to Trump to avoid legal threats. He warned that Redstone's approach sets a dangerous precedent that Trump will exploit further. 'Now he'll go after Harvard and Comcast or whatever the hell else he does. Because a policy of appeasement always leads to more conquest. It's tragic,' Stewart said. The Post has sought comment from Paramount Global, Meta, Bezos and ABC News.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Jon Stewart issues caution to future democratic leadership
Jon Stewart said that any future leader of the Democrat Party could be tainted by the way the left stood behind Joe Biden during his obvious decline. The comic has been out in full force this week regarding Biden, having shamed CNN on Monday for endlessly promoting a top anchor's new book about the ex-president's cognitive decline while covering his cancer diagnosis. Speaking on his The Weekly Show podcast with Pod Save America's Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett, Stewart turned his ire to Democrats who backed Biden despite his failing health. Stewart suggested it could be similar to how the Iraq War damaged the credibility of many Republicans in the lead-up to Barack Obama and many Democrats who 'paved the way' for Donald Trump . In that same manner, it could also allow the party to bring in new blood, untainted by what Lovett referred to as 'the stink' of Biden. 'It has sown the seeds for a real—and it's an opportunity for an interesting reinvention of what this Democratic Party can be,' Stewart said. 'I actually think there should be excitement, not trepidation around what this is, but it's going to come from someone outside of it. I think anybody that has any of that stink on them is not going to be particularly successful.' Lovett argued that there were larger problems, with no prominent Democrat running to stop Biden in 2024 'an indictment' and 'a lack of assuredness in their own worldview. It's not just that we need to overcome, I think, the stink,' he said, before Stewart interrupted to make a joke. 'By the way, if that is not a Democrat's slogan in 2028, something has gone terribly wrong,' Stewart quipped. 'Overcome the Stink.' If I don't have that on a bumper sticker...' Stewart, 62, earlier this week blasted CNN as '[expletive] weird' for touting the tome alongside news that Biden is battling an 'aggressive' form of prostate cancer. Ahead of the book's Tuesday release, it was plugged by co-author and CNN host Jake Tapper, Brian Stelter, and Jessica Dean - leading Stewart to call out specific sound bites. 'You will not believe what we found out,' Tapper says in one clip, while holding up a copy of his book. 'Don't news people have to tell you what they know when they find it out?' Stewart sarcastically responded, suggesting CNN had the chance to air such reporting a year ago. 'Isn't that the difference between news and a secret?' Stewart ran through plethora of other CNN clips featuring talking heads flogging the book. 'Biden's health was very much in the news even before the cancer diagnosis was announced on Sunday,' Early Start host Rahel Solomon said in a segment. 'That's because of a new book by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios journalist Alex Thompson,' she added. The tagline was later repeated word-for-word by CNN International anchor Ben Hunte on CNN Newsroom. 'CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, looks at a controversy the book is already generating ahead of its release on Tuesday,' Hunte added, giving the floor to CNN's media reporter. Mere hours before, Stelter had appeared to question the timing of Biden's diagnosis, calling it 'extraordinary' and pointing out how it arrived on 'the same day audio clips of [Biden's] Robert Hur interview were all over the news.' 'The timing of former President Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis is certainly dramatic,' he said, speaking to Hunte and viewers in a clip also played by Stewart. 'Coming on the eve of a blockbuster new book about his health and his time in the White House. 'That book is 'Original Sin' by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson. 'The book has been getting a lot of pre-publication publicity and buzz, as well as a lot of preorders,' Stelter continued. '[It's] because of the damning new details it contains about Biden's time in office and his decision to seek reelection in 2024.' Another segment singled out by Stewart showed CNN Newsroom anchor Dean saying, 'This very tough news, this very challenging news,' while speaking on Biden's diagnosis. 'And at the same time, the backdrop of our colleague Jake Tapper's book with Alex Thompson coming out this week,' she quickly added. After showing a clip of anchor Dana Bash saying it's going to be a 'tough week' while touting the book, Stewart couldn't resist.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Former White House aide finally ADMITS to Biden health decline cover-up because he 'wanted him to f*****g win'
A Former White House aide has admitted he deliberately concealed his concerns over Joe Biden 's declining health during the 2024 presidential campaign because he desperately 'wanted him to f*****g win' re-election. Jon Lovett, an ex-Obama administration speechwriter and co-host of the popular liberal podcast 'Pod Save America', made the shocking confession during an appearance on Jon Stewart 's 'The Weekly Show' podcast. The 42-year-old political commentator told Stewart and his fellow Pod Save America host Jon Favreau that he chose to keep his worries about Biden's physical and mental condition to himself rather than share them publicly with his audience. 'I remember feeling I want to talk about this as a huge liability. To talk about this is something Joe Biden can overcome, but I'm not going to go so far as to say, 'I think Joe Biden must drop out. He is too old to be president,' Lovett said on the podcast. 'A, because I didn't know exactly what was going on behind the scenes, but B, if Joe Biden is the candidate, I want him to f****** win.' Lovett, who served as a speechwriter in the Obama White House from 2009 to 2011, claimed he was terrified that voicing his genuine concerns would give Republican opponents an upper hand. He was afraid 'having the words we're saying taken out of context and all of a sudden be part of the case against Joe Biden from the right - that would use any person criticizing Joe Biden from the left as a weapon against him.' 'So it was about being honest about Joe Biden's age as a liability while knowing that if he is the nominee, I want to be clear that I thought it was important to make sure we did everything we could to reelect him,' Lovett claimed. The 42-year-old political commentator told Stewart and his fellow Pod Save America host Jon Favreau that he chose to keep his worries about Biden's physical and mental condition to himself rather than share them publicly with his audience This comes as medical experts have declared it 'inconceivable' that former President Joe Biden's 'aggressive' form of prostate cancer was not caught earlier by doctors. The 82-year-old's office announced the devastating diagnosis last Sunday, saying the cancer had spread to his bones and his family were reviewing treatment options. His cancer was given a Gleason score of 9 and a Grade Group of 5, a dire stage of the rapidly-spreading disease. The diagnosis came days after doctors found a 'small nodule' on his prostate. Many officials expressed heartfelt concern for the former president, with Donald Trump saying that he and First Lady Melania wished Biden 'a fast and successful recovery.' Donald Trump Jr appeared to break the political truce just hours after the announcement. He questioned if there was a 'coverup' by sharing a screengrab of a post from physician Dr. Steven Quay, who called prostate cancer 'the easiest cancer to diagnose when it first starts and to watch it progress to bone metastases.' Upon hearing the news, some of America's top doctors also questioned how a former president could be diagnosed with late stage prostate cancer - which can be detected early with routine bloodwork recommended for all men over the age of 50. 'It is inconceivable that this was not being followed before he left the Presidency,' wrote Dr. Howie Forman, a professor of radiology and biomedical imaging, public health management and economics at Yale. He noted that the test for prostate-specific antigen would have shown he had cancer 'for some time before this diagnosis', given how aggressive it is. In February 2024, when Biden was the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, his longtime physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor deemed him 'fit to serve' following a routine physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Dr. Forman noted that Biden 'must have had a PSA test numerous times before' and concluded the late-stage diagnosis is 'odd.' In a follow-up post, the doctor questioned whether Biden had been through screening in the last 12 years and if he 'had a normal PSA prior to [age] 70?' 'It's just so odd to discover this with bone [metastasis] in a man of his stature and [with his] access to care,' Forman concluded.
