Our Exclusive Sit-Down with CA AG Rob Bonta on the Lawsuit Threatening the Paramount-Warner Merger
Power Lines with Oliver Darcy and Jon PassantinoShow Notes
On today’s episode:
California Attorney General Rob Bonta joins the show for an exclusive interview after filing a lawsuit to block David Ellison’s $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Bonta explains why he believes the deal violates antitrust law, the danger it poses to the media landscape, and addresses the elephant in the room: what happens to CNN and CBS News?
After the interview, Jon and Oliver unpack Bonta’s comments, including what he said about a potential CNN spinoff, the structural remedies he could seek, and why CNN has become central to the legal fight.
Plus: A special announcement—the first-ever Status Summit is coming to New York City on September 9, featuring candid conversations with Meredith Kopit Levien, Rebecca Kutler, David Remnick, Wendy McMahon, and more.
Read these stories and more at https://www.status.news
0:00 Intro
1:55 Interview with California AG Rob Bonta
25:34 Breaking Down AG Bonta’s Answers
41:20 Special Announcement from Status Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from Power Lines with Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino
On today’s episode:
In a special episode of Power Lines, we publish exclusive audio from a stunning all-hands meeting in which Bari Weiss' handpicked foreign editor, Shayndi Raice, unleashed a lengthy tirade against her own CBS News journalists.
After completing his acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Ellison is facing questions about his relationship with Donald Trump and his plans for CNN. Jon shares what happened when he pressed Ellison directly on the Paramount lot, and Oliver reports on Anderson Cooper’s pointed questions for his new boss at an internal company town hall.
The future of CNN is coming into focus…at least for now. David Ellison has opened talks with Mark Thompson about extending his tenure as CNN’s chief. Oliver and Jon break down what the move signals to employees inside the network, what it could mean for CNN’s direction under Ellison, and where it leaves Bari Weiss, both now and down the road.
The anonymous source behind one of the stories that the White House used to justify its press ban was none other than JD Vance himself. We detail our exclusive reporting and get into the latest developments on Donald Trump’s war against the media.