Trump Subpoenas Reporters While States Fight Media Mergers
July 14, 2026
The Trump administration is escalating its assault on journalistic independence by subpoenaing New York Times reporters who exposed executive graft involving Qatari-funded aircraft. Simultaneously, a coalition of twelve state attorneys general is launching a desperate legal challenge to block a $110 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery, a consolidation that threatens to finalize the corporate enclosure of the American media landscape.
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Knock, Knock
By issuing subpoenas to five Times journalists, the Trump administration reveals its first response to unwanted national security coverage: go after reporters.
- media and technology
- structural power
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States make last-ditch effort to stop the Paramount ‘media behemoth’
A dozen state attorneys general are trying to block the $110 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery they warn would raise movie prices and crush cable TV distributors. The states - California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ne…
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Trump Admin Supoenas NYT Reporters Because They Dared To Criticize His Qatari Graft Plane
Less than a month ago, Trump secured himself a $400 million plane for free — something he certainly couldn’t have accomplished if he weren’t the president of the United States. It’s no longer a mere appearance of corruption: it’s a 250-foot long luxury plane with 2,500 square feet of tangible corrup…
- media and technology
- AI governance
- structural power
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If They Can’t Block This Merger, Can Anyone?
State attorneys general are trying to stop Paramount Skydance from merging with Warner Bros. Discovery. It’s the best shot left at preventing—or at least stalling—what seems inevitable.
- media and technology
- structural power
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Twelve US states sue Paramount to block Warner Bros merger
The states claim the $110bn acquisition would limit competition in the TV and film industries.
- geopolitics
- structural power