California state Attorney General Rob Bonta is silent this morning over David Ellison‘s insistence that contentious fate and future of CNN is really the focus of the multi-state lawsuit to stop the $110 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery.
In the wake of Paramount CEO Ellison breaking his long held public silence on the suit in a punchyNew York Times op-ed Tuesday morning, TKO Group boss Emanuel today recommend an “editorial board” be put in place to run CNN.
Appearing live on CNBC’s SquawkBox, the brother of potential 2028 POTUS contender Rahm Emanuel followed his pal David’s lead and said he believed “it’s a little bit about politics, about CNN.” Ari added: “I think there’s a way around that.” He emphasised such a vague editorial board entity “over the news organization” could make sure “everybody’s calm about news and possibly Larry Ellison controlling CNN and CBS.”
Shifting swiftly away from the elephant in the room and the MAGA tendencies implied in all that, the WME co-founder then went on to claim that such a board would allow the Ellisons to “get to the business of making movies and television, which has been difficult over the last six years.”
TKO Group CEO @AriEmanuel defends the proposed $PSKY & $WBD merger, which is facing antitrust concerns: https://t.co/yHGcq75OVE pic.twitter.com/Z49IUeGbAn
Putting the realpolitik of ownership of the Ted Turner founded cable newser front and center in an attempt to reclaim the legal and cultural narrative, Ellison’s convoluted essay in the Grey Lady also comes as both sides await a pivotal ruling by federal judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin on whether a trial will take place in November or deeper into 2027.
Of course, Emanuel’s Zoom-in appearance on the influential SquawkBox this AM has its own context too.
The CNBC hit is is hot off a botched July 28 WSJ opinion piece where the hard hitting Entourage inspiring agent called Bonta and other state AGs opposition to the merger “absurd.” Similar in scope to what Ellison said Tuesday in the NYT, Emanuel’s WSJ item also slammed the lawsuit’s anti-competition premise as 20 years out of date.
Along with the Rupert Murdoch-owned Journal itself, the former agent toApprentice host Donald Trump was widely mocked for not disclosing his own UFC economic interests with the Ellisons and Para. Back in the summer of 2025, soon after Ellison’s Skydance acquired Para from Sheri Redstone, the company inked a $7.7. billion right deal with the Dana White created UFC. Emanuel’s TKO is the parent company to the UFC — which was one reason Emanuel was in prominent attendance at the Freedom 250 megabout at the White House on Trump’s June 14 80th birthday.
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