Finance Foggle

  Key Takeaways The FCC approved Paramount’s $8 billion sale to Skydance Media by a 2-1 vote, transferring CBS licenses amid political controversy . Paramount paid $16 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit over a  60 Minutes  interview weeks before approval . Skydance agreed to eliminate DEI programs and install a CBS ombudsman to address bias complaints . Critics like FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez called the merger a “cowardly capitulation” threatening press freedom . Stephen Colbert’s show was canceled days after mocking Paramount’s Trump settlement . The FCC’s Landmark Approval Federal regulators greenlit one of Hollywood’s biggest deals yesterday. The FCC voted 2–1 to let Skydance Media buy Paramount Global for $8 billion. That transfer hands CBS’s 28 local TV stations, Paramount Pictures, and networks like Nickelodeon to David Ellison’s Skydance . Chair Brendan Carr emphasized Skydance’s $1.5 billion cash injection would stabilize Paramount’s finances. They’ve been drownin...

Key Takeaways Cost dispute : Trump claimed Fed renovations cost $3.1B; Powell corrected him, noting $2.5B was accurate and Trump’s figure included unrelated projects . Firing threats walked back : Trump called firing Powell “unnecessary” despite earlier threats, signaling temporary retreat . Rate pressure continues : Trump publicly demanded rate cuts during the tour, linking them to housing affordability . Renovation justifications : Fed cited asbestos removal, security upgrades (blast-proof windows), and inflation as key cost drivers . Legal limits : Experts argue renovation overruns don’t meet the “for cause” threshold required to fire a Fed chair . The Confrontation: $3.1B Claim Meets Instant Pushback Trump wasted no time setting a combative tone. Standing beside Powell in hard hats at the Fed’s renovation site, he waved a document claiming costs had ballooned to  $3.1 billion , far above the publicly stated $2.5 billion. Powell’s reaction was swift and visible: shaking his head...