Trump Ally Signals Big Shake-Up at CNN Amid Paramount’s Warner Bros. Bid
Billionaire technology entrepreneur Larry Ellison and his son David Ellison have emerged as key players in a high-stakes corporate and political battle that could reshape the future of American media—especially the fate of CNN.
Sources familiar with the situation say the Ellisons have privately signaled to President Donald Trump that if their company, Paramount Global, successfully completes its proposed $108 billion hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, they intend to implement major changes at CNN. Trump has frequently criticized the network, often labeling it “fake news.”
The Ellison bid arrives shortly after Netflix struck a separate $72 billion agreement to acquire Warner’s film studio and HBO assets. Under the Netflix proposal, however, CNN would not be included. Instead, the network would be separated into an independent company.
Paramount’s competing offer is very different. It specifically includes CNN, and the Ellisons have indicated they would significantly restructure the network.
According to The Wall Street Journal, David Ellison told senior officials in Washington during private discussions that CNN would face a “major cultural and editorial reset” if Paramount becomes the owner. Reports also suggest Larry Ellison discussed replacing several high-profile CNN anchors, including Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar, both of whom Trump has openly criticized in the past.
One White House official said the president believes CNN’s leadership has been openly antagonistic toward him and supports the idea of new ownership bringing change to the network’s programming.
The Ellisons have reportedly been working to build trust with Trump at a critical moment. The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, which ultimately reviews major mergers, falls under the executive branch and will play a central role in determining whether either deal proceeds.
Larry and David Ellison were also seen with Trump in the presidential box during the Kennedy Center Honors just two days before Paramount publicly announced its counteroffer for Warner Bros. Discovery.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that Larry Ellison personally contacted Trump following the Netflix-Warner deal announcement, arguing that a Netflix acquisition could give Silicon Valley excessive influence over the streaming industry and reduce competition.
David Ellison has also spoken publicly about his broader vision for a combined news operation. In an interview with CNBC, he said Paramount hopes to create a large-scale news platform built around “trust and truth,” aimed at appealing to what he described as the majority of Americans who fall somewhere in the political middle.
Under this concept, CNN could eventually be merged with CBS News into a single, unified news division.
That division would reportedly be overseen by journalist Bari Weiss, a former New York Times columnist who recently became editor-in-chief of CBS News and has pushed the network toward what she describes as a more “anti-woke” editorial direction.
One of Weiss’s first major hiring decisions was bringing in Matt Gutman, formerly of ABC News, to serve as CBS’s chief correspondent across major programs including CBS Mornings, CBS Evening News, and 48 Hours.
Gutman recently faced criticism after comments he made while reporting on the fatal shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. During a live segment, Gutman referred to text messages exchanged between the suspected attacker and a romantic partner as “very touching” and “intimate,” remarks some viewers felt were inappropriate given the seriousness of the case.
Within a day, Gutman issued a public apology on social media, saying he deeply regretted that his words could be interpreted as insensitive and emphasizing that he strongly condemns the killing and the pain caused to Kirk’s family.
If the Paramount acquisition moves forward, insiders say CNN could gradually adopt the same editorial philosophy emerging at CBS—an approach the Ellisons believe could help rebuild viewer trust.
Despite the intense debate surrounding the proposed deals, Trump has reportedly remained receptive to Paramount’s offer. Advisers say he views the inclusion of CNN in the Paramount proposal as an opportunity to push for the kind of reforms he has long demanded.
Speaking at a White House roundtable on Monday, Trump commented cautiously on the situation.
“I know the companies very well. I know what they’re trying to do,” he said. “But I have to look at market share and the numbers. None of them are especially close friends of mine. I just want to make the decision that’s best.”
The massive media mergers have already sparked bipartisan concern in Washington. Sen. Elizabeth Warren warned that the deals could represent “anti-monopoly nightmares,” while Rep. Darrell Issa cautioned that such consolidation might reduce consumer choice and limit independent voices in media.
A political newsletter from The Wall Street Journal summarized the situation bluntly: both Netflix and Paramount appear to believe that the fate of their multibillion-dollar deals may ultimately depend on the White House.
The first time Dante Rossi touched his wife, she begged him not to hurt her.
The first time Dante Rossi touched his wife, she begged him not to hurt her.
He had not even meant to touch her.
He had only reached to lift the veil.
The conservatory at the edge of the Rossi compound still smelled of crushed lilies, damp earth, and expensive deceit. Outside, the final guests were being ushered to their cars by men with earpieces and holstered weapons hidden under black trench coats. Inside the master suite, Aria Sterling stood in the middle of the Persian rug like a porcelain doll someone had trapped in silk.
Her wedding dress was an armor of elegance. Heavy ivory silk. Long sleeves. A high collar. A train so thick and demanding it had taken two maids to carry it down the aisle of the cathedral.
At first, Dante had assumed the gown was merely traditional.
Then he saw what it was hiding.
A dark, mottled shadow peeked just above the silk near her collarbone. Another bruise, fading to a sickly green, curved along the delicate line of her jaw. When he brushed the tulle of her veil back, her entire body went rigid.
“Please,” she breathed. “Don’t hurt me.”
Dante’s hand stopped dead in the air.
He had been called a butcher, a phantom, the newly crowned king of Boston’s most unforgiving crime syndicate. He had heard grown men plead for their lives in empty warehouses. He had built his reign on an iron discipline so absolute that even his rivals confessed he was principled before he was lethal.
But nothing in his violent life had prepared him for the sound of his own bride pleading for mercy on their wedding night.
Aria’s gaze was glued to the floor. Her bottom lip quivered once before she bit down to force it still. She looked twenty-two and utterly broken by the world. The massive emerald on her finger weighed her down like a chain.
Dante took a slow step back.
“Who did that to you?”
Her eyelashes fluttered.
“No one.”
“Do not lie to me.”
“I fell.”
“On both sides of your neck?”
Her silence gave him the answer her voice wouldn't.
For a heartbeat, the oxygen seemed to vanish from the room. Beyond the frosted glass, Boston shimmered cold and indifferent through the heavy November rain. This marriage had been forged to extinguish a decades-old war between two distinct underworlds. Sterling political cover. Rossi brute force. A pact sealed with signatures, veiled threats, and champagne toasts.
Dante had braced himself for an entitled politician’s daughter who despised him.
He had not braced himself for a woman who had been trained to flinch before he even raised a hand.
Aria took a ragged, shallow breath. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken out of turn.”
“Sorry for what?”
“For offending you.”
Dante just stared at her.
Then he turned on his heel, walked to the heavy oak door, and gripped the brass handle.
Aria’s head snapped up, pure panic flooding her eyes. “Where are you going?”
“To the guest wing.”
“But we’re expected to—”
“We’re expected to what?” His tone came out harsher than he wanted. He reined it in with sheer willpower. “Finalize the treaty? Give your father his proof? Let a compound full of armed guards think they own the rights to what happens in this bed?”
All the color drained from her face.
Dante squeezed the door handle until the metal dug into his palm. “Listen to me very closely, Aria. I do not lay hands on women who don’t want my touch. I do not extract obedience from someone who is already shivering in fear. This room is yours. The lock works from the inside. There is food in the adjoining kitchen. If you decide to walk out the front gates, no one will stand in your way.”
She stared at him as if he had just recited a poem in a dead language.
“You aren't mad?”
“I am enraged,” he said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. “Just not at you.”
Then he stepped out and left her alone.
Only when the latch clicked into place did Aria collapse against the edge of the mattress. She pressed both palms over her mouth, trembling so violently that the heavy silk of her dress rustled like dry leaves.
She thought she had just escaped one monster.
Perhaps she hadn't been traded to another after all.
But hope was a deadly thing. Hope made people drop their guard. And Aria Sterling had survived far too much violence to put her faith in a single act of grace.
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