Sony Pictures Entertainment announced they will be acquiring majority ownership of the iconic Peanuts IP, including the beloved characters Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang created by Charles M. Schulz. 
The purchase price was around $457 million for the 41% stake held by WildBrain in Peanuts Holdings LLC, bringing Sony’s total stake to 80%. The Schulz family continues to have a 20% stake, per <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/sony-acquire-peanuts-457-million-deal-1236612363/">Variety</a>.
“Since 2018, SMEJ has been proud to be part of the partnership behind ‘Peanuts,’ an iconic global entertainment brand with a 75-year legacy of delighting audiences worldwide,” Shunsuke Muramatsu, president and group CEO, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), said in a statement. “With this additional ownership stake, we are thrilled to be able to further elevate the value of the ‘Peanuts’ brand by drawing on the Sony Group’s extensive global network and collective expertise.”
“We are deeply committed to carrying forward the legacy of Charles Schulz and the Schulz family,” he added. “Together with SPE, and backed by WildBrain’s continued partnership, we will continue to embrace new opportunities to ensure that ‘Peanuts’ remains a relevant and beloved presence across generations—reaching new audiences and sharing the timeless charm of the ‘Peanuts’ gang for years ahead.”
Sony said they planned to keep the characters in the spotlight.
“With our combined strengths, we have the unique capability and extraordinary opportunity to protect and shape the future of these beloved characters for generations to come,” Sony Pictures President and CEO Ravi Ahuja said of the acquisition.
Peanuts began as a syndicated daily and Sunday comic strip featuring the misadventures of Charlie Brown and his friends. The comic strip originally ran from 1950 to 2000 and is considered one of the most popular and influential comic strips in history, with 17,897 strips published in all.
Some of the most popular Peanuts projects include the animated holiday specials “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” In 2015, 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios released “The Peanuts Movie.&#8221;

Snoopy, Lucy, Charlie Brown, & Linus in Peanuts

Sony Pictures To Take Majority Control Of ‘Peanuts’ Franchise

 Sony Pictures To Take Majority Control Of 'Peanuts' Franchise

Business

Cartoon

Entertainment

United States

Kristin Cabot, the woman who went viral over the summer after being caught in an intimate moment with her boss Andrew Byron on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert, has some harsh words for Gwyneth Paltrow.
The former HR exec gave multiple interviews this week and went over some details about the event and aftermath. Cabot was shocked at the level of public outrage over her alleged infidelity, and seemed especially offended that Paltrow joined in the fray.
&#8220;I was such a fan of her company [Goop], which seemed to be about uplifting women,” Cabot told The Times U.K. “And then she did this. I thought, ‘How dare she after the beating she got for all the conscious uncoupling stuff.’ What a hypocrite.”
Cabot said she got rid of all her Goop products as a form of protest.
The former Astronomer employee was referring to Paltrow’s relationship with her ex-husband, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, and how she referenced their separation using unique terminology.
Cabot also made other revelations during the interviews, including insisting that it was her first time ever kissing her former boss and claiming that their relationship was never sexual. The New Hampshire native also revealed that her then-husband, Andrew Cabot, was at the infamous concert. He said in a statement that the couple was estranged at the time of the incident.
Both Cabot and Byron left their positions at the tech company in the wake of the scandal.
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Paltrow <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/astronomer-hires-gwyneth-paltrow-to-be-temporary-spokesperson-after-kiss-cam-drama">put out a commercial</a> for the company just days after the kiss cam drama blew up on social media. “I’ve been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer,” the &#8220;Avengers: Endgame&#8221; actress said in the video.
“We’ve been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation,” she went on, poking fun at how the company had gone viral overnight.
Astronomer became a household name after Cabot, the former Chief People Officer for the company, was spotted embracing the CEO. After getting caught on the kiss cam, the two quickly stepped away from each other and out of frame after realizing they were being broadcast to the entire stadium at the July 16 Coldplay show in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
That moment became a pop culture sensation and led to multiple spoofs on social media and at professional sporting events.
Cabot claims she’s been stalked, harassed, doxxed, and has received death threats after the scandal. &#8220;My kids were afraid that I was going to die and they were going to die,&#8221; she <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/style/coldplay-concert-couple-kiss-cam-woman.html">told</a> The New York Times.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Viral Coldplay Kiss Cam Woman Speaks Out, Is Furious With Gwyneth Paltrow

Music

U.S.

viral video

A lengthy exposé highlighting the negative effects DEI has had on white males, in particular millennials, has gone mega viral on social media.
The Compact <a href="https://www.compactmag.com/article/the-lost-generation/">piece</a> “The Lost Generation” by Jacob Savage goes into detail about how white men have been discriminated against over the past decade, especially in the fields of entertainment and academia. The statistical truths laid out plainly have struck a chord with the general public, leading to the article being viewed on X more than 11 million times.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Beginning in 2014, prestige industries decided they urgently needed to diversify. They didn’t purge established Boomers. Instead, they did everything possible to avoid hiring white millennial men.
This is the story of a generation derailed by DEI. <a href="https://t.co/kUfmpHfaMH">https://t.co/kUfmpHfaMH</a>
— Matthew Schmitz (@matthewschmitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/matthewschmitz/status/2000556991375409159?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Savage, who tried to make it as a Hollywood writer, reported that in 2011, “white men were 48 percent of lower-level TV writers; by 2024, they accounted for just 11.9 percent.” He further noted that The Atlantic’s editorial staff “went from 53 percent male and 89 percent white in 2013 to 36 percent male and 66 percent white in 2024.” Also, “white men fell from 39 percent of tenure-track positions in the humanities at Harvard in 2014 to 18 percent in 2023.”
The author points to the death of George Floyd as a major turning point for industries that were already trying to “diversify.”
“In 2021, new hires at Condé Nast were just 25 percent male and 49 percent white; at the California Times, parent company of The Los Angeles Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune, they were just 39 percent male and 31 percent white. That year ProPublica hired 66 percent women and 58 percent people of color; at NPR, 78 percent of new hires were people of color,” he wrote.
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A hiring manager told Savage, “For a typical job we’d get a couple hundred applications, probably at least 80 from white guys. It was a given that we weren’t gonna hire the best person. … It was jarring how we would talk about excluding white guys.”
White male writers have been kept out of other major outlets, too, including The New York Times and Buzzfeed. The article noted that Vox Media was 82 percent male and 88 percent white in 2013. By 2022, the company was just 37 percent male and 59 percent white, and by 2025 leadership was 73 percent female.
Savage said while the problem looks less stark in academia, he believes that Boomers are occupying all the tenure positions at elite institutions while millennial white men are being ignored for jobs they’re qualified for.
One notable statistic Savage found was that since 2022, Brown University “has hired forty-five tenure track professors in the humanities and social sciences. Just three were white American men (6.7 percent).”
The article points out similar situations in other industries, such as tech, publishing, and management. Savage notes how white men were pushed to crypto, podcasting, and Substack because “institutional barriers to entry didn’t exist” there.
His exposé was met with support and commiseration on social media.
“The phenomenon of white male dispossession strikes at the core of what’s been going on over the last decade,” one commenter <a href="https://x.com/l0m3z/status/2000976625585021212?s=43">wrote</a>. “Any politician, anyone with any ambition to influence, must take on this fight. The time is now.”
“Truly extraordinary,” <a href="https://x.com/l0m3z/status/2000976625585021212?s=43">said</a> another. “Impossible to fathom all that&#8217;s been lost.”
Some argued that Savage’s piece didn’t go far enough and that it placed too much blame on the established Boomers who were also subject to discrimination.
“People complaining about the rise of radicalism need to realize the number one thing they could do to contain it is to speak up,” political commentator Jeremy Carl <a href="https://x.com/realJeremyCarl/status/2000933766118957247">wrote</a>.

Man is standing

Exposé On Discrimination Against White Millennial Men Goes Viral, Inspires Outrage

Discrimination

Journalism

Social Issues

Twitter

White Men

iRobot, the American company that created the robotic vacuum Roomba, filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, sending the company into the arms of its Chinese manufacturer just three years after regulators blocked a proposed sale to Amazon.
Under the <a href="https://media.irobot.com/2025-12-14-iRobot-Announces-Strategic-Transaction-to-Drive-Long-Term-Growth-Plan?utm_source=chatgpt.com">bankruptcy plan</a>, iRobot’s manufacturer, Picea, will take 100% of the company’s equity, shifting ownership from American to Chinese hands. The filing comes after iRobot cited declining sales, increased competition from lower-priced alternatives, and rising supply chain and manufacturing costs. Initially, the company hoped to merge with Amazon to improve its scale and get more competitive pricing for parts and inventory.
While the Federal Trade Commission has not commented on iRobot’s bankruptcy, the commission welcomed the collapse of the Amazon deal in January 2024. “We are pleased that Amazon and iRobot have abandoned their proposed transaction,” the United States Federal Trade Commission <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/01/statement-regarding-termination-amazons-proposed-acquisition-irobot">said</a>. “The Federal Trade Commission will not hesitate to take action in enforcing the antitrust laws to ensure that competition remains robust.”
Three years later, iRobot’s bankruptcy leaves the United States without a major American-owned competitor in the home robotics industry.
With iRobot’s bankruptcy, shareholders are expected to see their equity wiped out &#8212; an outcome that contrasts sharply with the $61 per share cash payout investors would have received had the Amazon acquisition gone through. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who urged regulators to oppose the deal, said at the time that Amazon should not be allowed to use acquisitions to avoid competition.
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“I have serious concerns about Amazon’s deal to buy iRobot,” <a href="https://x.com/SenWarren/status/1575616208417980417">said</a> Warren. “We’re asking the FTC to oppose this proposed deal to protect competition and consumers. Amazon shouldn’t be allowed to just buy their way out of competing.”
After the deal collapsed, iRobot laid off roughly one-third of its workforce and its stock price plummeted. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy later described the company’s struggle as “a sad story.”
“This American company invented this product, invented the category and built a business that was almost $1 billion in revenue,” Jassy said. He argued that successful businesses naturally attract competition, including from Chinese manufacturers, and that iRobot needed scale to survive.
“They needed to scale because scale lets you buy components at the right price and invest in R&amp;D,” Jassy said.
Jassy also addressed privacy concerns, noting that robotic vacuums must map the inside of customers’ homes to avoid running into furniture.
“What Western regulators were saying is that they trust these two large Chinese companies with maps of the inside of U.S. consumers&#8217; homes more than they do Amazon,” he said. “That can’t be what we were going for. I think we&#8217;ve got to try and find a way to be reasonable with what we are doing.”
At the time the deal was blocked, the Federal Trade Commission was chaired by President Joe Biden appointee Lina Khan, who quickly became known for her aggressive approach to antitrust enforcement, particularly toward large technology companies. Khan now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdanis-transition-team-a-reflection-of-his-leftism">serves</a> as New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team chair.

In this photo illustration, the IRobot logo is seen

Regulators Blocked Amazon-iRobot Deal, Now Bankruptcy Sends Company Back To China

Amazon

Antitrust

Communist China

Economy

Robots

World

Activist group One Fair Wage is pushing a 2026 ballot effort in Maryland to get a $25 minimum wage, which would be much higher than any other state in the nation – sparking concerns from some economists about the potential impact.
“$25 isn’t radical! It’s survival,” the group posted to X on Friday morning. “One Fair Wage is pushing a 2026 ballot measure to make Maryland the first state with a true living wage for all workers.”
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, but many states and territories go beyond that, with California at $16.50 an hour and Washington, D.C., at $17.95 an hour. If One Fair Wage’s proposal went into effect, a full-time worker could make a minimum of $52,000 a year.
Maryland-based economist Rachel Greszler, Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, said that the proposal could create serious issues because of its drastic nature.
The Old Line State’s minimum wage is currently $15 an hour, with Montgomery County having a minimum wage as high as $17.65 for companies over 51 people.
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“I think it’s insane. Maryland’s already trying to compete, especially with Virginia nearby, and you were losing businesses, especially the small businesses, which are disproportionately affected by high minimum wages, and to do this is just gonna exacerbate the problems that we’re having with the budget, of course, and of having good jobs for people,” she said, noting that “good intentions don’t necessarily lead to good outcomes.&#8221; Virginia&#8217;s minimum wage will go $12.77 an hour starting January 1.
“You need these starting wages to be able to step onto the ladder and then be able to climb it. If that first step is $25 an hour or $52,000 a year, a lot of people would just never be able to step onto it,” she said, noting the risk of youth employment decline even further.
Greszler wrote in September for the <a href="https://epicforamerica.org/education-workforce-retirement/americas-youth-employment-lacking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Economic Policy Innovation Center</a> that teen employment has gone down 15.6% since 2000 to only 30%.
Non-partisan business groups have also raised concerns about the suggested increase.
&#8220;We understand that many Marylanders are struggling with the cost of living and want better opportunities to get ahead. But Maryland&#8217;s economy is already struggling to create and keep jobs, and raising the minimum wage to $25 would make it even harder,” the Maryland Chamber of Commerce told <a href="https://www.wmar2news.com/local/a-minimum-wage-of-25-an-hour-in-maryland-could-be-put-to-a-vote-in-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WMAR 2 News Baltimore</a> in November.
If it makes it to the ballot, Greszler is not confident that the measure would pass, despite the hope from activists that it could excite voters, according to WMAR.
“I think it’s such a big jump,” she said. “I could see them going for a smaller one.”
The economist noted that she feels “sympathy” on the issue due to cost-of-living concerns, but added that “there’s no way that that’s gonna be sustainable.”
“Half of people who earn it are under age 24. It’s primarily teenagers. And more than half of the people who are earning the minimum wage are just working part-time,” she noted.

minimum wage

Economist Blasts $25 Minimum Wage Proposal: ‘I Think It’s Insane’

2026 election

Maryland

Minimum Wage

Paramount announced on Monday that it was challenging Netflix with a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. 
The <a href="https://ir.paramount.com/news-releases/news-release-details/paramount-launches-all-cash-tender-offer-acquire-warner-bros">announcement</a> comes just days after Netflix said it had reached a deal to acquire the entertainment company in a massive $82.7 billion deal.
“We believe our offer will create a stronger Hollywood. It is in the best interests of the creative community, consumers and the movie theater industry,” Paramount Chairman and CEO David Ellison said in a statement. “We believe they will benefit from the enhanced competition, higher content spend and theatrical release output, and a greater number of movies in theaters as a result of our proposed transaction.”
Ellison announced an all-cash tender offer, which the company said “provides superior value, and a more certain and quicker path to completion&#8221; to shareholders. Paramount&#8217;s proposed deal was also expected to close in 12 months, compared with Netflix&#8217;s 18 months.
The Paramount offer includes purchasing Warner Bros. cable television assets, which Paramount said are worth about $18 billion more than the Netflix bid. The company had previously made six offers to Warner Bros., only to be rejected each time. The press release noted that Warner Bros. &#8220;never engag[ed] meaningfully&#8221; with those offers.
This news comes not long after President Trump remarked on the Netflix deal, saying it “could be a problem” from an antitrust standpoint. The president also mentioned being “involved” in reviewing the deal.
Paramount CEO David Ellison is the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who is a friend of President Trump and a major donor.
The proposed merger has had bipartisan pushback from skeptics who warn it could turn into a “nightmare” for consumers and creatives, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netflix-warner-bros-deal-faces-bipartisan-political-pushback?author=Reuters&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Netflix-Warner+Bros+Deal+Faces+Bipartisan+Political+Pushback">reported</a>. 
“Netflix built a great service, but increasing Netflix’s dominance this way would mean the end of the Golden Age of streaming for content creators and consumers,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) wrote in a post on X.
“We’re highly confident in the regulatory process. This deal is pro-consumer, pro-innovation, pro-worker, it’s pro-creator, it’s pro-growth,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said after the deal was announced.

Paramount

Paramount Launches Hostile Takeover Bid For Warner Bros. Days After Netflix Deal Announced

Donald Trump

Netflix

Television

Warner Bros

President Donald Trump weighed in on the anticipated Netflix–Warner Bros. merger, saying the amount of market share Netflix would gain &#8220;could be a problem.&#8221;
Trump took questions from the red carpet at a Kennedy Center event over the weekend. Then on Monday, Paramount challenged Netflix with an aggressive bid of its own.
“Netflix is a great company. They’ve done a phenomenal job. Ted is a fantastic man,” he said of Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, mentioning they met in the Oval Office last week. “I have a lot of respect for him, but it’s a lot of market share, so we’ll have to see what happens.”
When asked if Netflix should purchase Warner Bros., Trump replied, “Well that’s the question.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="WATCH: Trump Comments On Netflix-Warner Bros. Acquisition" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R6dSXSeDPv8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“They have a very big market share and when they have Warner Bros., you know, that share goes up a lot so, I don’t know,” the president added. “I’ll be involved in that decision, too. But they have a very big market share.”
The decision is expected to require approval by the Justice Department&#8217;s antitrust division. 
Paramount Skydance on Monday launched a bid to buy Warner Bros. Paramount CEO David Ellison is the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who is a friend of President Trump and a major donor.
The all-cash offer was touted as being “superior value, and a more certain and quicker path to completion,” plus promised “$18 billion more in cash” compared to the Netflix offer, per a <a href="https://ir.paramount.com/news-releases/news-release-details/paramount-launches-all-cash-tender-offer-acquire-warner-bros" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> shared on Monday.
Netflix announced on Friday that it would acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO, in a massive deal valued at $82.7 billion.
Netflix said Warner Bros.’ current method of operating, “including theatrical releases for films,” will continue in an apparent effort to quell fears from critics of the acquisition.
“I know some of you’re surprised that we’re making this acquisition, and I certainly understand why. Over the years, we have been known to be builders, not buyers,” Sarandos said during an investor call Friday morning, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netflix-to-acquire-warner-bros-in-massive-billion-dollar-deal">reported</a>.
“We already have incredible shows and movies and a great business model, and it’s working for talent, it’s working for consumers and it’s working for shareholders. This is a rare opportunity,” he said. “It’s going to help us achieve our mission to entertain the world and to bring people together through great stories.”
The acquisition is expected to close once Warner Bros. completes its planned spinoff from Discovery Global, meaning the deal would potentially finalize in the third quarter of 2026.

Trump Warns Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal ‘Could Be A Problem’

Trump Warns Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal 'Could Be A Problem'

SpaceX has informed investors and representatives of financial institutions that it plans to pursue an initial public offering in the second half of next year, the Information reported on Friday, citing two people familiar with the discussions.
The rocket-maker, founded by Elon Musk, is considering a public listing of the entire company, including Starlink, its internet satellite service, according to the report.
Musk had said in 2020 that SpaceX planned to list Starlink several years in the future, once its revenue growth became smooth and predictable.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The news of the potential IPO follows a media report that said SpaceX is kicking off a secondary share sale that would value the rocket-maker at $800 billion, pitting it against OpenAI for the title of the most valuable private company.
SpaceX&#8217;s finance chief, Bret Johnsen, told investors about the sale in recent days, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The new potential valuation is double the $400 billion value it fetched in a recent secondary share sale.
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The $800 billion valuation would put SpaceX ahead of ChatGPT-parent OpenAI, which is valued at $500 billion as of October, making it the most valuable privately held company in the world, according to Crunchbase data.
Separately, Bloomberg News on Friday reported that SpaceX is preparing to sell insider shares that could include a per-share price of around $300, which would value the company at roughly $560 billion.
Several billionaires and private firms, including SpaceX and Jeff Bezos&#8217; Blue Origin, are fueling a new space race in the U.S., pouring money into rockets, satellites and lunar missions.
(Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Alan Barona)

SpaceX And Elon Musk photo illustration

SpaceX Tells Investors It’s Targeting Late 2026 IPO, Report Says

Elon Musk

General

Outer Space

SpaceX

Some members of Congress on Friday deemed Netflix&#8217;s $82 billion proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery&#8217;s studios and streaming unit an antitrust &#8220;nightmare&#8221; for consumers and creatives, while the company touted the deal as driving value for viewers, workers and shareholders.
Netflix said the deal would create jobs and give its 300 million subscribers &#8220;more bang for their buck&#8221; by adding content at a time when President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration is focused on lowering prices.
Nevertheless, Republicans in Congress have warned of potential antitrust problems with Netflix absorbing HBO Max and Warner Bros&#8217; content rights. Democrats including U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren also criticized the transaction.
Warren said the deal &#8220;would create one massive media giant with control of close to half of the streaming market — threatening to force Americans into higher subscription prices and fewer choices over what and how they watch, while putting American workers at risk.&#8221;
Both Warren and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, who co-chairs the House Monopoly Busters Caucus, called the deal a &#8220;nightmare.&#8221;
&#8220;It would mean more price hikes, ads, &amp; cookie cutter content, less creative control for artists, and lower pay for workers,&#8221; she said in a post on social media site X.
Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, said the &#8220;proposed deal, and any other, should be closely scrutinized.&#8221;
While Netflix won the bidding war for Warner Bros studio and streaming assets, it has been the political underdog compared with David Ellison-led Paramount Skydance, which has close ties with the Trump administration.
Paramount is considering making an alternative takeover offer directly to Warner Bros shareholders, who have yet to vote on the Netflix deal, CNBC reported on Friday. Reuters could not verify the report.
As the process played out, Republicans in Congress warned that a Netflix acquisition would reduce choice for consumers and give Netflix an unacceptably high share of the streaming market.
On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican who leads the antitrust committee, said a Netflix buy of Warner Bros Discovery&#8217;s streaming assets &#8220;should send alarm to antitrust enforcers around the world.&#8221;
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&#8220;Netflix built a great service, but increasing Netflix’s dominance this way would mean the end of the Golden Age of streaming for content creators and consumers,&#8221; Lee wrote in a post on X.
Last month, Republican Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas and Representative Darrell Issa of California also called on U.S. antitrust enforcers to scrutinize any possible Netflix-Warner Bros deal, saying it could lead to fewer movies in theaters.
The deal, given its size alone, is likely to face significant antitrust review by the U.S. Department of Justice, and also because it would eliminate competition between HBO Max, which has 128 million subscribers, and Netflix.
Netflix could counter by pointing to shifting media habits and the fact that Alphabet&#8217;s YouTube has recently been the most popular way for Americans to watch TV.
&#8220;We&#8217;re highly confident in the regulatory process. This deal is pro-consumer, pro-innovation, pro-worker, it&#8217;s pro-creator, it&#8217;s pro-growth,&#8221; Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said after the deal was announced.
A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment on Friday.
George Hay, a law professor at Cornell University, said the review will depend on how much of the content market Netflix would control after the deal, and whether or not it could be addressed by a partial sale of some assets.
&#8220;Warner Bros has a lot of content already in the can. So you can imagine spinning off some of that content to another supplier, maybe a Paramount or something like that as a way of ameliorating or diminishing the market share,&#8221; he said.
The deal will likely trigger intense antitrust scrutiny in the European Union due to the combined companies&#8217; market share. UNIC, the EU trade body representing cinema trade associations and operators covering 39 territories, said it will share its concerns and opposition to the deal with competition authorities.
The DOJ antitrust unit is led by Gail Slater, a former executive at Fox Corp and Roku. She was later an economic advisor to Vice President JD Vance.
Last month, Slater signaled that the &#8220;main thing&#8221; for her office is focusing on the average American&#8217;s biggest expenditures. Housing, transportation, food, healthcare and utilities lead the list, with entertainment in fifth place at 5% of household spending, according to a pie chart Slater posted on X.
But those entertainment costs have been rising. Netflix raised the price of its own standard ad-free plan by $2.50 to $17.99 a month in January. HBO Max followed suit, raising its ad-free service price last month by $1.50 to $18.49.
Trump has a history of getting involved in big media mergers and weighing in on one side. He actively lobbied the DOJ in his first term to stop AT&amp;T&#8217;s $85 billion purchase of Time-Warner, voicing concerns about media concentration and his own displeasure with Time-Warner&#8217;s CNN cable network. AT&amp;T ultimately won in court in 2018 and 2019.
Warren warned on Friday against political favoritism tainting the deal review process.
&#8220;The Justice Department must enforce our nation’s anti-monopoly laws fairly and transparently — not use the Warner Bros. deal review to invite influence-peddling and bribery,&#8221; she said.
(Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York, Foo Yun Chee in Brussels and Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; editing by Chris Sanders, Franklin Paul, Nick Zieminski and Chizu Nomiyama and David Gregorio)

Netflix-Warner Bros Deal Faces Bipartisan Political Pushback

Movies

Streaming giant Netflix <a href="https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-to-acquire-warner-bros">announced</a> on Friday that it will acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO, in a massive deal valued at $82.7 billion.
Netflix said Warner Bros.&#8217; current method of operating, “including theatrical releases for films,” will continue in an apparent effort to quell fears from critics of the acquisition.
“I know some of you’re surprised that we’re making this acquisition, and I certainly understand why. Over the years, we have been known to be builders, not buyers,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said during an investor call Friday morning.
“We already have incredible shows and movies and a great business model, and it’s working for talent, it’s working for consumers and it’s working for shareholders. This is a rare opportunity,” he said. “It’s going to help us achieve our mission to entertain the world and to bring people together through great stories.”
Sarandos said in the official statement that the mission of Netflix “has always been to entertain the world.” 
“By combining Warner Bros.’ incredible library of shows and movies—from timeless classics like Casablanca and Citizen Kane to modern favorites like Harry Potter and Friends—with our culture-defining titles like Stranger Things, KPop Demon Hunters and Squid Game, we&#8217;ll be able to do that even better. Together, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling,” the entertainment exec added. 
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Co-CEO of Netflix Greg Peters expressed similar thoughts, saying, “This acquisition will improve our offering and accelerate our business for decades to come…with our global reach and proven business model, we can introduce a broader audience to the worlds they create—giving our members more options, attracting more fans to our best-in-class streaming service, strengthening the entire entertainment industry and creating more value for shareholders.”
The acquisition is expected to close once Warner Bros. completes its planned spinoff from Discovery Global, meaning the deal would potentially finalize in the third quarter of 2026. Netflix <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/netflix-warner-bros-deal-hollywood-1236443081/">will pay</a> a $5.8 billion reverse break-up fee if the deal doesn’t go through, while Warner Bros. agreed to pay $2.8 billion if it opts to back out.
“Today’s announcement combines two of the greatest storytelling companies in the world to bring to even more people the entertainment they love to watch the most,” said David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery. “For more than a century, Warner Bros. has thrilled audiences, captured the world’s attention, and shaped our culture. By coming together with Netflix, we will ensure people everywhere will continue to enjoy the world’s most resonant stories for generations to come.”

Netflix To Acquire Warner Bros. In Massive Billion Dollar Deal

Netflix Will Acquire Warner Bros. In Deal Mega $82.7 Billion Deal

Hollywood

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, widely recognized as a leading figure in AI, gives credit not to himself, but to President Trump for saving the AI industry.
“The fact that he came into office and the first thing that he said was: drill, baby, drill. His point is we need energy growth. … Without energy growth, we can have no industrial growth. And that was it, saved it, saved the AI industry,” Huang told podcaster Joe Rogan. “I gotta tell you flat out, if not for his pro-growth energy policy, we would not be able to build factories for AI.”
On the first night of his presidency, Trump wasted no time addressing American energy. He <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/declaring-a-national-energy-emergency/">declared</a> a “National Energy emergency,” stating, “An affordable and reliable domestic supply of energy is a fundamental requirement for the national and economic security of any nation.”
While Huang told Rogan that long-term, “the amount of energy necessary for artificial intelligence for most people will be minuscule, utterly minuscule,” he made it clear that today, energy “is the bottleneck” for AI growth.
His warning is backed by Wall Street. Goldman Sachs <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/AI-poised-to-drive-160-increase-in-power-demand">estimates</a> that power demand from data centers could rise by 160% by the end of the decade due to AI.
Trump has spoken openly about the scale of that challenge. In a speech discussing the future of AI, the president recalled learning how much electricity AI plants would require. “You got to be kidding. Double what we produce right now for everything.”
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Preparing the nation for a surge in energy demand, Trump passed an executive order, titled “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-american-energy/">Unleashing American Energy</a>.” The order calls for expanded energy exploration and production on federal lands and waters and instructs federal agencies to review existing regulations, orders, and policies. Federal agencies are directed to revise or rescind actions that “impose an undue burden on the identification, development, or use of domestic energy with particular attention to oil, natural gas coal, hydropower, biofuels, critical mineral, and nuclear energy resources.&#8221; The order also paused Biden-era funding and subsidies for many “green” initiatives.
Five days before President Biden left office, his administration issued the AI Diffusion Rule, creating new compliance and export requirements for advanced AI technology. Nvidia quickly condemned the rule and later supported the Trump administration’s decision to rescind it. “This last-minute Biden administration policy would be a legacy that will be criticized by U.S. industry and the global community,” stated Nvidia&#8217;s vice president of government affairs in a statement <a href="https://seekingalpha.com/news/4393980-nvidia-criticizes-biden-administrations-plan-for-ai-chip-export-curbs">shared</a> with Seeking Alpha. “We would encourage President Biden to not preempt incoming President Trump by enacting a policy that will only harm the U.S. economy, set America back. And play into the hands of U.S. adversaries.”
Exactly two months after Biden’s AI Diffusion Rule had been in place, and three months before it would have taken effect, the Trump administration rescinded the rule.
The rule, issued on January 15, 2025, was scheduled to take effect on May 15. The Bureau of Industry and Security, which has authority over the rule, later rescinded it, stating that the requirements would have stifled American innovation by burdening U.S. companies with heavy regulatory costs.
Complimentary of the administration’s policies, Huang also noted he was surprised by President Trump.
“The one-on-one President Trump is very different,” the CEO explained. “He surprised me. First of all, he’s an incredibly good listener. Almost everything I’ve ever said to him he’s remembered.”

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang

Nvidia CEO Says Trump’s Energy Policy Saved American AI

Artificial Intelligence

Nvidia

Politics

Trump Administration

Gerry McGovern, the chief creative officer behind the disastrous Jaguar rebranding campaign, has reportedly been fired from the company just months after the new CEO took over, as originally <a href="https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/jlr-axes-design-boss-gerry-mcgovern">reported</a> by U.K.-based outlet Autocar.
McGovern was a 20-year veteran of the company and, per the outlet, was the main force behind the failed avant-garde marketing campaign that received mostly negative reviews from consumers. 
The shakeup comes just months after the car manufacturer appointed Indian national PB Balaji as chief executive officer following the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jaguar-ceo-steps-down-months-after-woke-rebrand-commercial-went-viral">departure</a> of Adrian Mardell.
The ad campaign for Jaguar sparked massive criticism online following its November 2024 release. The “Copy Nothing” campaign included a colorful commercial of people dressed in vibrant, outlandish outfits. The characters could be seen grabbing sledgehammers, painting over the camera lens, and striking poses as the music played.
One of the chief criticisms from viewers was that the ad did not feature any cars. 
Instead, disjointed phrases such as “create exuberant,” “live vivid,” “delete ordinary,” “break molds,” and “copy nothing” appear on the screen.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to the ad, writing, “Do you sell cars?”
The social media account replied to many commenters questioning the ad, saying things like, “The story is unfolding. Stay tuned,” “We’re shifting gears, not our purpose,” and “Consider this the first brushstroke.”
The ad was part of a huge brand overhaul, which was described as going in a new EV-only direction.
Managing director Rawdon Glover complained about the backlash during an interview with the Financial Times, saying the campaign messaging was drowned out in “a blaze of intolerance” on social media. Glover also claimed that the colorful new ad was not meant to be “woke.”
McGovern defended the campaign at the time, saying, “Jaguar has its roots in originality. Sir William Lyons, our founder, believed that ‘a Jaguar should be a copy of nothing.’ Our vision for Jaguar today is informed by this philosophy. New Jaguar is a brand built around Exuberant Modernism.”
He continued, “It is imaginative, bold and artistic at every touchpoint. It is unique and fearless. We are creating Jaguar for the future, restoring its status as a brand that enriches the lives of our clients and the Jaguar community.”
Jaguar sales in Europe <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/07/01/business/jaguar-sales-plummet-after-botched-rebrand-ev-pivot/">dropped</a> by a whopping 97.5% following the botched rebrand as the car manufacturer transitioned from gasoline-powered vehicles to all-electric. 
The company told The Daily Wire on Thursday that they will not be commenting on the situation.

Jaguar

Man Behind Jaguar’s Controversial Rebrand Fired After Plummeting Sales

Design Boss Behind Jaguar's Controversial Rebrand Reportedly Fired After Plummeting Sales

Cars

Electric cars

United Kingdom

Wokeness

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