The lawsuit filed by the state AGs “distorts settled antitrust law and is based on a misrepresentation of competition in the entertainment industry today,” Paramount said Monday, after the suit was filed. The company, formed by Skydance Media’s takeover of Paramount Global in August 2025, said it will “vigorously defend the transaction.”
The company repeated its claims that the $111 billion deal to merge Paramount and Warner Bros. “creates a stronger competitor against dominant streaming and technology platforms who have harmed the market for theatrical exhibition and jobs in the entertainment industry.”
“The lawsuit filed by the state attorneys general, in the most generous light, reflects a fundamentally flawed application of the antitrust laws and is wrong on both the facts and the law,” Paramount’s statement said. “Delaying this transaction will only harm entertainment workers who have already suffered over recent years as technology has disrupted their livelihood and cost California tens of thousands of entertainment jobs.”
The company’s statement continued: “The practical effect of this lawsuit is to shield those dominant streaming platforms like Netflix and technology companies from much-needed competition while preventing the significant benefits this transaction will deliver for consumers, creators, workers and the broader Hollywood economy. We will continue to fight against any attempt to derail a deal that strengthens competition, expands opportunity, and positions the combined company to compete in an increasingly competitive global media landscape.”
Paramount says its takeover of WBD has been cleared by regulators in 24 jurisdictions. That includes a green light from the U.S. Justice Department in mid-June, which did not impose any requirements for divestitures or other concessions on the part of Paramount Skydance. The deal is still pending regulatory approval in the U.K., where officials have said they are likely to intervene.
Paramount has said it anticipates closing the WBD deal in the third quarter of 2026. The company has committed to paying a “ticking fee” of 25 cents per share to shareholders for every quarter the deal isn’t completed after Sept. 30 — equivalent to approximately $650 million cash value each quarter.
NowThis, the digital-first and social news outlet that targets Gen Z audiences, has hired producer Georgie Guinane as head of studio, L.A.
In the new role, Guinane will lead NowThis’ Los Angeles studio, in charge of the company’s slate of original digital series. She reports directly to editor in chief Michael Vito Valentino.
Guinane joins the company from Flighthouse Media, a media publisher, creative agency and content studio that says it bridges “the gap between brands and Gen Z.” She worked at Flighthouse for five years as director of content, overseeing creative vision and strategy for the company’s owned-and-operated channels, as well as branded integration content across all platforms. Earlier in her career, Guinane was a senior producer at viral-video company Jukin Media and was a producer and writer for Clevver Media.
“What makes Georgie the right fit for L.A. is the combination of editorial instinct, relationship-building and operational know-how she’s spent her career developing,” Valentino said in a statement. “She has an impressive track record of format-first programming, and now she’ll be applying that same thinking to building out our studio infrastructure and connecting it to the relationships across studios, talent and creators that make L.A. work.”
Guinane commented, “NowThis has built a standout slate of content that consistently resonates with Gen Z women, and I couldn’t be more excited to join the team at such a pivotal moment. From Los Angeles, I look forward to building original formats and franchises that bring together entertainment, talent and internet culture in ways that create new opportunities for growth and keep audiences coming back.”
NowThis, based in New York City, first launched in 2012. It was spun off from Vox Media in 2023 through a deal with the Accelerate Change not-for-profit advocacy network. NowThis says it has 92 million followers across internet platforms and generates hundreds of millions of monthly views.
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison may think the promise of the Paramount Warner Bros. Discovery mega-merger is an offer we can’t refuse, but I’m here to say: He’s wrong.
I am leading a coalition of 12 state Attorneys General in taking Paramount and Warner Bros. to court to stop this unlawful merger.
The entertainment industry doesn’t exist simply to hawk movies and TV shows like they’re any other commodity. It exists to tell stories, spark ideas and curiosity, inspire and inform, and open our eyes to new perspectives that we may never have encountered otherwise.
It’s why movies and shows so often play a starring role in our lives — in first dates and last dates, cherished family memories, debates over dinner, moments of quiet self-care, and moments that bring communities together, as we’ve seen throughout the World Cup.
Whether it’s the living room TV, the big screen, or the small devices we carry everywhere we go, there is no doubt that the entertainment industry touches the lives of Americans daily.
That is why we should all be concerned about the $110 billion proposed merger between media giants Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros.
By combining two of the five largest film distributors and two of the five largest basic cable channel owners, the resulting media behemoth would control nearly one-third of theatrical movie distribution and nearly one-third of basic cable channels. It would control more than 30% of the blockbuster release distribution that buoys the movie theater business and 50 of the most popular cable TV channels, spanning an unrivaled slate of news, sports, entertainment, kids, family, factual, and lifestyle content.
Giving that much power to one media company would wipe out competition, jack up prices, hurt the quality of content we’re offered, and bring fewer movies and shows to our screens. Combining cable news channels would mean fewer journalists informing our electorate and fewer opportunities for Americans to hear the full breadth of information and opinions on a subject. Consolidation would mean fewer voices speaking truth to power and fewer documentarians, filmmakers, showrunners, producers, writers, and artists shedding light on important stories that too often go untold.
That’s a death knell for the film and TV industry — and for our democracy.
For more than a century, Paramount and Warner Bros.’ fierce competition has fueled powerful projects that have stood the test of time. We’re talking about “Titanic,” “The Godfather,” “The Matrix,” “Barbie,” “Harry Potter,” “Lord of the Rings” and “Casablanca” — just to name a few.
If we allow them to extinguish the flame of competition, they will no longer have the same incentive to distribute their best, most creative work, to innovate, to greenlight interesting and risky projects, and to offer viewers fair prices.
Competition is the heartbeat of a vibrant entertainment industry, just as it is the lifeblood of a healthy economy.
Competition ensures that companies rise to the top based on what they put in the market, not based on backdoor deals. And, it ensures that consumers have an array of choices in both product and price. History has shown us that consolidation in markets at the center of American economic life does not serve our economy, consumers, or competition well. Instead, it leads to increased unaffordability, a loss of good-paying job opportunities, and fewer choices for consumers. Just think of the robber barons of the Gilded Age who dominated the oil, railroad, and steel industries, pocketing obscene profits while exploiting workers, corrupting the political system, and squashing potential rivals.
Monopolies give too few too much power. That’s why we have antitrust laws to prevent them and control mergers. Laws like the Clayton Act, which this proposed merger violates. Antitrust enforcement is democracy’s check on oligarchy. It’s a check on wealthy businesses seeking to game the system and cheat to knock out competition. It’s a check on billionaires currying favor with the president so he’ll do their bidding and hand-pick winners and losers, bypassing the law and the meritocracy that makes our economy thrive. And it’s a check on the elite few who think they’re above the law, when they’re not.
No one is. No company is.
If you need proof that antitrust enforcement fuels a healthy economy, just look at California. We’ve got some of the strongest antitrust and consumer protections on the books — protections we are not afraid to uphold. And, at the same time, we’re the fourth largest economy in the world, home to more Fortune 500 companies than any other state, and home to nearly two-thirds of all U.S. venture capital investment. That’s no accident.
Americans deserve fair prices and a fair market. They deserve options. They deserve to know that they’re not being cheated by corporations that break the law, and take advantage of workers and consumers to fill their coffers.
We are taking Paramount and Warner Bros. to court to preserve an industry that has the power to make us laugh, cry, question, and take action. To protect an industry that helps shape who we are, how we see the world, and what we care about.
As Attorney General of the Golden State, I am proud to stand up for an industry deeply ingrained in California’s history, identity, and economy.
With this lawsuit, we are standing up for a free and fair market, not a rigged market. Because America has no kings in government or our economy.
L2Beat, an analytics platform that tracks Ethereum layer-2 networks, announced that it has excluded approximately $7 billion worth of non-circulating tokens held in multi-signature wallets controlled by the $RAIN team from Arbitrum’s Total Guaranteed Value (TVS) calculation.
Despite the adjustment, the value of $RAIN tokens within TVS on Arbitrum remains at approximately $2.6 billion. This figure makes $RAIN the largest asset on Arbitrum, surpassing USDC and Ethereum (ETH).
L2Beat researchers described the resulting picture as “clearly illogical,” arguing that they believe the $RAIN token has been “heavily manipulated.” The platform noted that a more comprehensive investigation into the token’s valuation and Arbitrum’s impact on the TVS metric is underway.
Related NewsAfter Strategy, Is Tether Next? Activity Is Being Observed in Bitcoin Wallets
The TVS metric is used to measure the total value of assets secured by a blockchain or layer-2 network. However, including tokens that are not in circulation and are held in wallets controlled by the project team can make the network’s true economic size appear higher than it actually is.
Developed on the Arbitrum platform, $RAIN operates as a protocol focused on prediction markets. In May, the project announced a $100 million liquidity commitment, briefly becoming one of the top three prediction market protocols by valuation.
L2Beat’s review raised new questions about $RAIN’s market capitalization, as well as the transparency of the team-controlled token supply and Arbitrum’s impact on TVS data.
Staking has become one of the most popular ways for crypto investors to earn passive rewards while continuing to hold their assets. However, staking opportunities vary widely depending on the platform. Some focus on network security, while others use staking to support ecosystem growth or reduce circulating supply.
MemeToro ($MT) has entered that conversation by introducing a staking model alongside its AI-powered ecosystem. Here’s how it compares with some of the leading staking platforms in 2026.
5 Staking Platforms Investors Are Watching
The staking landscape is much broader than Ethereum alone.
Lido continues leading liquid staking for Ethereum by allowing users to earn rewards while receiving liquid staking tokens that remain usable across decentralized finance applications.
Rocket Pool follows a similar approach but emphasizes decentralization through community-operated validator nodes. It remains popular among Ethereum users who prefer a more distributed staking model.
Binance Earn continues attracting both retail and institutional investors through its simple staking interface. Users can stake supported cryptocurrencies without managing validator infrastructure themselves.
Maxi Doge has taken a different approach. Its presale staking pool currently offers up to 76% APY (which is not trusted yet), with almost 10 billion tokens already locked. The high yield encourages holders to reduce circulating supply before public trading begins.
Finally, MemeToro introduces staking as part of a larger Web3 ecosystem rather than as a standalone yield product.
How MemeToro’s 35% $APR Works
Unlike traditional proof-of-stake networks, MemeToro ($MT) uses staking to encourage long-term participation across its platform.
Eligible holders can lock their $MT tokens into the platform’s staking contracts and earn rewards of up to 35% $APR. The objective is not only to reward long-term holders but also to strengthen ecosystem participation before additional products become available.
The staking model is closely connected to the wider platform.
As prediction markets, AI-powered token launches, and SocialFi products expand, staking becomes one of several ways users interact with the ecosystem rather than the platform’s only utility.
That creates a different experience from networks where staking exists purely to validate blockchain transactions.
MemeToro Tokenomics Support Long-Term Participation
Staking works best when it is supported by balanced tokenomics.
MemeToro ($MT) has a fixed maximum supply of 1.2 billion $MT tokens, with approximately 71% allocated to the public sale. Marketing and partnership allocations remain subject to a 24-month vesting schedule, while the project’s smart contracts have completed an independent Coinsult audit.
The Presale Continues Through Stage 4
Investors interested in staking first need access to the native utility token. MemeToro is currently progressing through Stage 4 of its public presale.
The project has already raised $66,670.37, filling 82.52% of the current $80,785.59 allocation target. The token is currently priced at $0.00171, with the next presale stage increasing automatically to $0.00190.
Early participants can secure their allocation before the scheduled price adjustment while positioning themselves for future staking participation after launch.
Staking Now Means More Than Passive Income
Crypto staking has evolved well beyond simply locking tokens for rewards. Today, investors can choose between liquid staking providers like Lido and Rocket Pool, exchange-based services such as Binance Earn, or ecosystem-driven models offered by projects like Maxi Doge and MemeToro.
Each platform serves a different purpose. MemeToro ($MT) distinguishes itself by making staking one component of a broader AI-powered ecosystem that also includes token launches, prediction markets, and SocialFi tools.
As investors continue comparing passive income opportunities across Web3, staking is increasingly becoming part of a much larger platform experience rather than a standalone feature.
The ethics provision is among the final sections of the Clarity Act that need to be ironed out if the bill is to advance to a Senate floor vote. The clock is running out on getting the legislation approved, and industry insiders are anxiously awaiting the latest draft of Clarity, which they expect in the next couple of days. But it isn’t expected to have completed language on this section and a couple of other points also still being debated.
Earlier, bipartisan discussions had covered the possibilities of extending ethics implementation to a later period that might not impose immediate disruptions on Trump’s extended crypto-related holdings, and that the limits would be on the government officials and not beyond them. But people briefed on the negotiations have said that they’d hit a recent wall, despite the dwindling available calendar for action in the Senate before the summer recess and the shift in focus to the midterm elections.
The Senate is back to work this week and has just a few weeks remaining before its major break. Senate Majority Leader John Thune had suggested that he’d press forward with a Clarity vote this month, whatever shape the bill is in. The talks now have the element of Trump’s recent financial disclosures to contend with, in which he pocketed massive profits from sales of crypto assets and related income streams from the sector.
President Donald Trump has said the US will ‘take over’ the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Iran of breaking the deal and insisting Washington should be paid to guard the waterway. Trump confirmed on Truth Social that the reinstated blockade would begin ‘immediately’.
UPDATED, with comment from AG: Oregon‘s attorney general has dropped a civil investigative demand for Paramount to turn over records related to its efforts to secure federal approval for its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield also had asked a state circuit court judge to order Paramount to turn over the materials and to delay Paramount’s closing of its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by 60 days so the documents could be reviewed. A hearing has been scheduled for Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
A Paramount spokesperson said, “We are pleased that the Oregon Attorney General has withdrawn its motion to delay this transaction. It was the right decision and avoids an unwarranted effort to delay a lawful, pro-competitive merger.
“Antitrust authorities around the world have carefully reviewed this transaction, clearing it or concluding that it does not violate any competition laws. That regulatory record underscores what the facts, the law and the economics make clear: this transaction will create a stronger challenger to dominant global streaming and technology platforms, expand consumer choice, increase investment in premium content and theatrical distribution, and create more opportunities for creators and workers. We look forward to completing the transaction and delivering those benefits.”
Jenny Hansson, communications director for Rayfield, said in a statement, “Paramount made it clear that they weren’t going to comply with the investigative demand, and that they think they’re above the law. We’re not going to let them waste Oregonians’ resources on these games. We’ve withdrawn the motion to consider our next steps.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and other state attorneys general are said to be considering a legal challenge to the transaction.
Rayfield sought Paramount records of lobbying of federal officials, as well as its role in a statement that the DOJ released in support of the transaction. The attorney general also sought documents “related to the formulation and execution of lobbying strategies aimed at obtaining regulatory approval of the proposed merger, which Respond as internally named ‘Project Warrior.’”
In a court filing, Paramount has objected to the document requests, arguing, among other things, that they impose “burdens and demands which are disproportionate” to the Oregon investigation and are “of such marginal relevance that the value of any materials sought is outweighed by the burden imposed on Paramount in having to provide such information.”
“Lobbying activities and related communications are wholly irrelevant to whether the proposed acquisition ‘violates Oregon’s antitrust laws,’” the company’s legal team wrote.
A group of a dozen state attorneys general filed suit to block Paramount‘s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, long-anticipated litigation to stave off a merger despite receiving clearance from the Trump administration Justice Department.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Sacramento on Monday, challenges the transaction as stifling competition for wide release theatrical film distribution, big budget motion picture distribution and licensing of basic cable television channels.
The focus on those aspects of competition come amid concerns that the merger would lead to widespread layoffs as the combined company grapples with its debt burden. Broader concerns have been on the impact on the creative community and the information environment, with Paramount set to own two legacy news brands, CBS News and CNN, although that was not the subject of the lawsuit’s claims.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who led the lawsuit, said in a statement, “The unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S.”
Also joining the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington.
“After this merger, for every dollar generated by wide-release theatrical films and basic cable channels in this country, the combined company will pocket more than a quarter. This merger, in short, would create a media behemoth,” the lawsuit stated.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta at a press conference on Monday to announce a lawsuit challenging the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
The AGs claim that the merger will lead to “higher prices and degraded quality,” as a combined Paramount and Warner Bros. will be able to extract a greater portion of box office revenue from exhibitors. Paramount-WB represent about 27% of the box office, per Bonta’s office. The combined company will control more than 30% of big-budget theatricals for wide release, the lawsuit claimed, noting that the tentpole releases made up 88% of box office revenue over the last three years.
While theatrical distribution has gotten substantial attention as Paramount has sought regulatory approval for the WBD acquisition, much less focus has been paid to cable distribution, a sector of the industry that has been in decline.
The lawsuit noted that the combined company would control more than a quarter of all basic cable channels by revenue. The result, the lawsuit claimed, would be increased bargaining leverage with distributors. The company would roll up channels like MTV and TNT that were once Viacom and Turner powerhouses.
The lawsuit stated, “A distributor who rejects the combined company’s fee demands would risk losing, for example, CNN for news viewers, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network for family households, HGTV and Food Network for lifestyle audiences, and TNT and TBS for sports and entertainment viewers. Faced with this threat, distributors would likely be forced to accept higher fees to distribute basic cable channels than they would absent the proposed merger. Those higher fees will likely be passed on to their subscribers in the form of higher monthly bills.”
Paramount has been steeling for a courtroom battle, hiring noted antitrust litigator Jeffrey Kessler, who most recently fought on behalf of the states as they challenged Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s market dominance.
The company’s most immediate concern is timing: Its deal for WBD includes a $7 million a day “ticking fee” if the transaction does not close by Sept. 30.
That’s why the most important part of the litigation may be in its initial stages, including whether a judge grants a temporary injunction that would put the transaction on hold. That’s what happened in the case of Nexstar with its proposed acquisition of Tegna, creating a broadcast station giant. Despite receiving federal approvals, a federal judge put the Nexstar-Tegna merger on hold, siding with state attorneys general and DirecTV in their claims that the merger would be anticompetitive. Nexstar is appealing, but that process looks to drag out the transaction for months or into next year.
A Paramount spokesperson said in response to the lawsuit, “The lawsuit filed by the state attorneys general, in the most generous light, reflects a fundamentally flawed application of the antitrust laws and is wrong on both the facts and the law. We will vigorously defend the transaction and demonstrate that this challenge is inconsistent with sound competition policy and the competitive realities of the media marketplace. Delaying this transaction will only harm entertainment workers who have already suffered over recent years as technology has disrupted their livelihood and cost California tens of thousands of entertainment jobs.”
Paramount has argued that the merger will boost competition, with a WBD combination better able to compete with streaming giants Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+. The company also has pledged to release at least 30 theatrical films per year, at a time when much of the industry is worried about the future of exhibition in general.
In their lawsuit, the state AGs argued that the commitment was “not legally enforceable,” and that it would “still permit Defendants to harm competition by reducing investment and innovation, degrading quality, and raising the price of those 30 films they produce.” The AGs did cite potential job loss, but did so in claiming that the efficiencies from the proposed merger do not outweigh the harms done. “Creative content that goes unproduced as a result of these disruptions is permanently lost,” the lawsuit stated.
While Democrats on Capitol Hill have warned about the merger, undoubtedly putting pressure on Bonta to act, Paramount’s lobbying efforts to win Trump administration approval has also helped put it in the partisan crosshairs, even though CEO David Ellison once said that he did not want the company to be politicized.
Ellison attended Trump’s State of the Union address earlier this year, appearing with one of the president’s allies, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in a photo in which they each gave the president’s signature thumps up sign. In April, Ellison hosted a dinner for the Trump White House and CBS News correspondents in advance of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, an uneasy mix of the business interests of the company with the journalism side. And in June, Ellison mingled with Trump as he attended the UFC championship on the White House lawn, an event that was streamed on Paramount+.
In recent months, critics of the merger have held unofficial hearings in Southern California and on Capitol Hill, while groups include the Democracy Defenders Fund and the Writers Guild of America helped gather more than 5,000 signatures from talent and creatives opposing the transaction.
In their statement last month giving clearance to the merger, the Justice Department said that the “extensive investigatory record reviewed by the Division suggests that the impact of the transaction will be to increase competition across the media and entertainment ecosystem, with benefits for American consumers and workers.”
Microsoft is testing a Copilot feature that will allow you to talk to the AI assistant about your Windows PC’s specs and performance.
The feature, called PC Insights, was spotted by Windows Latest and is currently available as an opt-in experience in the Copilot on Windows app. The idea is to let customers “conversationally ask Copilot questions about their Windows PC and receive clear responses based on their device’s state without having to dig through system settings,” Microsoft says on a support page.
At launch, the feature responds to questions about graphics cards, storage, CPU usage, antivirus, battery health, and connected peripherals. For example, you could ask it whether your printer is online or if you have enough space for a 100GB game.
Every time Copilot needs to check your system or a file to respond, it will seek permission, Microsoft says. When you see a pop-up request, you can either decline access to the intended location or allow Copilot to dig into it once or indefinitely.
For now, PC Insights can only provide information; it can’t change your PC settings or perform fixes. Microsoft says it will be improving the experience over time and may add new capabilities in the future. The feature is currently rolling out gradually via the Copilot app and may not be available to all users, the company adds.
Jibin is a tech news writer based out of Ahmedabad, India. Previously, he served as the editor of iGeeksBlog and is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex information for a broader audience.
