California AG Caves To Megabullies (The Good Fight Continues)

 

<"He Caved (What Else Is New?)"
Take I/The Reckoner>

<i.>

Like most unconditional surrenders, the negative fallout dropped before the ink dried, even as its signers sought to sneak the news through the back door. A 12-state coalition's attempt to derail the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery merger crumpled to an ignominious end on Monday, when the man leading it, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, folded like a wet rag on a park bench, and pulled the plug:

"When we get down to brass tacks, what we heard over and over from people who would be most directly and immediately impacted by the merger is that what matters most is consistent film output, domestic production, and protecting the livelihoods of workers above and below the line.

"As such, our settlement provides court-enforceable commitments for more films, an infusion of an additional $1.5 billion into home-grown film production, and protections for workers who are impacted by the merger. There’s no Hollywood without the people who work on and off screen to make the magic happen, and today’s settlement protects workers, jobs, and Hollywood.”

The view from the cheap seats looks rather different, as some of the comments from this Reddit thread suggest ("California Vowed To Stop Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger; Why Did It Fold?"; see link below):

"Because establishment dems cannot be trusted. They will cater to the money and call it realism."

"Because neoliberal Democrats are just rational Republicans."

"So (California Governor) Gavin Newsom could appease his donors while lying to the people he wants to vote for him in '28 that he did everything he could."

With this last obstacle to their megalomania removed, the oily father-son duo unleashing it, Larry and David Ellison, can now add CBS Entertainment, Comedy Central, HBO and TikTok, among others, to their personal giant Monopoly board of media trophies. 

Apparently, the Ellisons' finger-wagging threat to pull up stakes and leave the Golden State for good proved sufficient to bring Bonta -- and his boss, Newsom -- to heel. Moments like this one demonstrate why oligarchs exude such confident contempt for the rule of law, one they treat as a mere inconvenience to swat aside, with an airy wave of their greasy palms.

Bonta's press release (see link below) touts a number of concessions, all seemingly designed to head off the blowback already raining down on his office. They include a $5 million independent film fund, for each year of the five-year settlement period; a commitment for both parties to release at least 30 films per year, over the next two years, and 32 for the remaining three years; a $1.5 billion stake, to bolster domestic film production; and a a $47.5 million fund to help workers impacted by the merger.

But there's one fly in the ointment, amid all the feelgood prose oozing through the Attorney General's press release about "being in the best interests of those involved," "ongoing discussions," "resolving our concerns," and so on -- and that's the fate of CNN.

Having laid waste to CBS News's independence, its new Trump-friendly overlord, Bari Weiss, will undoubtedly set about the same task with all the thin-skinned, talentless relish that she demonstrated in turning "60 Minutes" into the equivalent of a giant blazing dumpster fire. 

What makes Monday's announcement all the more painful, from our perspective, is how much of a contrast Bonta's abject surrender makes with the solidarity shown by the legacy media, when Trump the (Not So) Magnificent summarily banned them from the White House: "Right, then. No more pooled video coverage to you."

The net results of Trump's amateurish workaround -- trying to shout out over the roars of jets, at the airport he's been designated to give a few canned remarks -- speak for themselves, and are providing endless hours of sadistic online amusement. The moral here? Resistance works best when everyone makes does it. End of story!

But, given how quickly Bonta and his boss folded, we doubt that California's top law enforcer is losing much sleep over the prospect. He's played his part, not having visited the battlefield, and that's all he wrote. Or cared to write, because that's the beauty of capitulation: it doesn't require anything more than saying...

"I give up."

<:What Comes Around Goes Around.../The Reckoner>

<ii.>

Not surprisingly, the greatest fury over the settlement is flying from progressive quarters like the American Spectator, whose commentary (see link below) covers the basic points quite well:

"Behavioral remedies like promises of film releases are simply unenforceable, and editorial panels for CNN and CBS are similarly dubious and have nothing to do with the core of the case, which alleged that a combined company would have too much power over theater owners and cable companies to set contract terms.

"Yet Bonta caved under pressure, after being abandoned by every major politician in California (from current Gov. Gavin Newsom to heir apparent Xavier Becerra to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass), all of whom are worried about jobs in the event of a Paramount exit. But Paramount’s stated plan post-merger includes $8 billion in 'savings,' which translates into the loss of tens of thousands of jobs."

Indeed, one point fast being forgotten -- as the American Prospect's piece notes -- is the so-called "ticking fee," or $7 million daily penalty due to Warner Bros., for not finalizing the deal by its Oct deadline. 1. A federal judge had already issued a temporary injunction against the merger, and set the case for a March 2027 trial date. This small fact explains why the Ellisons suddenly began so much public noise about leaving the state, and wanting to settle the case, or both.

Even for someone like Larry Ellison, with an estimated net worth of $345 billion, it's fair to say he wouldn't want a single day of that $7 million fee, let alone a single dollar of it, slipping under his couch cushions, right?

Now, it's true -- as the Hollywood Reporter article points out -- that the Ellisons had asked the pro-Trump Supreme Court for an expedited hearing, which they might well have gotten. The court had asked Bonta to answer challenges from Iowa and Montana, in seeking to stop the suit, which likely proved one factor in Monday's outcome.

Would an expedited Supreme Court hearing have halted the states' lawsuit? We'll never know, because Bonta and his fellow California neoliberals didn't try. The same holfd for the Ellisons' threats to leave the state. Although Paramount's board had approved moving to Tennessee or Texas as a fallback, it's hard to imagine such an idea working out in practice -- since the major dealmakers and studios aren't based there, and neither state boasts an abundance of soundstages to make it work well.

Such maneuverings are straight out of the Tech Bully 101 Handbook. As we've seen in New York, there hasn't been a major capital exodus after Mamdani's election, because of the logistical realities involved. Megabullies like the Ellisons rely on a lot of fist-clenching, foot-stomping, teeth-gritting voodoo to get their way, and while it's no picnic to face such a display, it goes with the territory of serving as the state's top law enforcer. 

On a more practical level, with the so-called Justice Department so firmly in Trump's pocket, state counterparts like Becerra represented the last major backstop against this latest display of corrupt self-dealing, one expressly designed to appease the Orange Menace, as we'll see.

With so much on the line, shouldn't Californians have expected a stiffer fight from their Attorney General? No show of learned helplessness against an onslaught of corruption ever looks good, no matter how artfully you dress it up.

At the very least, Bonta might have pushed for a greater concession -- spinning off CNN from the deal -- which is the whole reason, other than money, that the Ellisons pursued it so rabidly in the first place. Would they have agreed? Maybe not, but they had floated the possibility publicly, which outlets like the L.A. Business Journal were taking seriously, only a couple weeks ago ("Paramount Weighs Assets Selloff To Save Deal").

Again, we'll never really know, because Bonta, Newsom and their fellow neoliberals gave up without a fight. That's what commentators have already been writing, and that's the sum-up that will follow them to their graves, as simple as that. There can never be a place waiting at the table for those so willing to wave the white flag so easily.

<Sourced from Facenook
(so, no credit, but we'll give it, where it's due):

What we don't want to see happening in 2028!

Let's be honest here -- centrists suck>

<iii.>

If nothing else, the fallout from Monday's announcement should disqualify Newsom from any further 2028 Presidential discussions. Don't forget, even before this particular shoe dropped, this is the same guy who furiously backpedaled from a wealth tax measure that will Californians will vote on this fall. He fought to keep it off the ballot, and is reminding anyone in shouting distance that he won't be voting for it.

Since Newsome can't screw up the courage to oppose his home state's bumper crop of Dr. Evils, edgelords and megabullies now, why would he expect him to find it, if he ever gets nominated, let alone makes it to the White House? As those New Jersey guys might say: "Fuhgeddaboutit."

Or maybe we can recall Mike Ehrmentraut's irritable dismissal of Jesse's earnest query on Breaking Bad, about whether riding shotgun makes him "the guy" now: "You...are not...the guy! You're not capable of BEING the guy!"

The post-Trump era will require serious structural reforms, so that nobody can ever abuse their power to that level again. More than mere triage will be required, simply because so many people are screaming so loudly for it. The last thing we need is a repeat of Obama's infamous 2008 vow to "move on," without punishing any of the bad actors responsible for the nation's economic meltdown -- and, in our humble opinion, the first major tipping point that paved the way for Trump's entrance.

And if we permanently lose our democracy, the imminent defanging of CNN might well represent the first tipping point in that direction. As Robert Reich points out on his Substack site, Trump's ongoing irritation and hostility towards CNN prompted him to egg on the Ellisons' megamania fetish:

“I think any deal, it should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately, but I don’t think the people that are running that company right now and running CNN — which is a very dishonest group of people — I don’t think that should be allowed to continue. I think CNN should be sold along with everything else.”

The Ellisons have already promised to make sweeping changes, once they finish counting up all their new play toys. If this feels uncomfortably like the goings-on in some Latin American banana republic, or Orban-era Hungary, that's not a coincidence, as Reich notes:

"It’s the neofascist playbook: Take over the media and silence criticism. Even better (because it’s less out in the open), have your cronies take over the media and have them silence criticism. Better still, make deals with your cronies so when they take over the media, they have ongoing financial incentives to silence criticism. If they’re billionaires, they can keep buying up media and silence criticism as they make even more money."

It doesn't take much imagination to ponder how an Ellison-remade CNN might look. Perhaps they'll opt for a softer voiceover than Sean Hannity's familiar stentorian bellow: "Marco Rubio walks us through the night he almost died for love...again, and again, and again. Join us, for an intimate look at the Marco Rubio no one knows, as he toils mightily to make America great again."

Or how about a MAGA-ified "South Park," which its creators recently announced plans to retitle "South America," in honor of Trump's fetish for renaming anything that moves and breathes (or doesn't)? Cue the appropriate voiceover: 

"And now, tonight, on 'South America': Stan and Kyle come face to face with America's border crisis, as they debate about calling ICE on that suspicious-looking family who've moved in next door, only to find..." 

The camera then cuts to an image of Cartman, his arms pinned by a horde of masked ICE agents, as they drag him away to a waiting black van, while he yells: "I hhhhhate yyyyyou guys -- Seeeeerrrrrioussslllyyy!"

Yes, indeed, the possibilities are endless, and pretty grim, too. And they're made all the grimmer, in view of the fact that California's Democratic political establishment simply walked away, and left the megabullies to it, all without firing a shot. Of all the tragedies associated with the Ellisons' megamerger maneuverings, this one looms largest of all.

<"He Caved (What Else Is New?)"

Take II/The Reckoner>

<iv.>

So what exactly do we make of this latest red flag disaster of the Trump Restoration, one orchestrated by some of his closest allies? We'll get the obvious one out of the way first: for those who believe that Corporate Moderates like Gavin Newsom are the Democratic Party's future? "Fuhgeddaboutit." 

We've been led down that path before, by the Clintons, the Obamas, and the corporate classes who spawned them, and look how well that movie played out. In fairness to Bonta, Newsom and others like them, Democrats have a major credibility problem with media monopolies -- as we saw the Clinton era's driving mantra ("Let big fish grow ever bigger, heftier, and wider"). 

And let's not forget the Bruce Springsteen ticket fiasco, while we're at it. Obama's Justice Department approved the LiveNation-Ticketmaster merger responsible for driving up concert pricing, and that's not the only example. Attorney generals tend to be establishment creatures, not the hard-charging consumer advocates and crime busters that the public typically imagines of them.

But, if nothing else, the Paramount merger should remind us of the importance about tackling media monopoly on that Fix What Trump Broke To-Do List. Revisiting limits on what billionaires and media companies can add to their collection of networks, platforms and related outlets should be a major priority, and we shouldn't support any candidates who won't pursue them.

Similarly, ramping up antitrust enforcement should also become a priority. While the Ellisons have won this round, it's worth remembering... What is done can always be undone. Though the Biden-era Presidency made inroads toward that goal -- notably, appointing Lina Khan, the most aggressive Federal Trade Commission head in decades -- it didn't go far enough.

Taming monopolies only happens in two ways. You either move vigorously to break them up, as President Teddy Roosevelt did with his celebrated "big stick," or add a series of guardrails to prevent them from becoming serious societal problems -- the approach that his distant cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), pursued during the 1930s. It's one or the other, basically, if society is to ever come out ahead on the deal.

Above all else, we should never stop dogging those who dismiss those issues, or fail to take them seriously. We can never regret speaking out about them, since there's nothing to gain from holding our tongue -- it's why we've started this "Time For Action" series, after all -- and we can never forgive, nor forget, those who let us down, as the American Prospect reminds us:

"The lawsuit was exceptionally strong on the merits, a textbook case of why we have antitrust laws. It is monumentally disappointing that Bonta caved, especially because we don’t have any other lines of defense to the Trump administration’s antitrust corruption. Every company looking to merge is getting a signal that they can bully their way through to extreme concentration. That is terrible for the economy." --The Reckoner

Links To Go (A Moment Of SIlence,
As Yet Another Media Monopoly Takes Shape):

The American Prospect:
Bonta Gives Up On The Paramount Case:
https://prospect.org/2026/09/21/bonta-gives-up-on-the-paramount-case/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUgQCdwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMTJJQkZORGdtUzR3aUNjZ0tzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEevsRM6b5caL7OGzxPC6rWt2-fl-tK6tOMRKLoMklenAKBYlSvM1GR9u0SOKI_aem_TqQ2Dtcj5zxhJBE3NzvOlA

California Attorney General: Press Release:
https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-announces-settlement-warner-brosparamount-litigation

Common Dreams: Failing "Moral Compromise,"
Newsome Rejects Compromise 2% Wealth Tax:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/newsom-california-billionaires-tax

Reddit: California Vowed To Stop Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger:
https://www.reddit.com/r/entertainment/comments/1wnnmp2/california_vowed_to_stop_paramountwarner_bros/

Robert Reich Substack: And Now, CNN:
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/now-cnn

The Hollywood Reporter:
California Vowed To Stop Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/california-paramount-warner-bros-settle-why-fold-1236707326/

(Referenced in the Reddit thread, but included separately, for those wanting to skip right to it)

<Secret Affair's lead singer, Ian Page,

 keeps it up close 'n' personal:

  "Time For Action" video (YouTube capture)>

...They can laugh in our face
'Cause we know we're right
Looking good's the answer,
And living by night...

So take me to your leader,

Because it's time you realized...

...That this is the time

This is the time for action (time for action)
This is the time to be seen (time to be seen)...

This is the time for action,

Time to be seen...

To Be Continued...

<YouTube capture>