Pawel Popiel

States may sue to block Nexstar-TEGNA deal The transaction still requires DOJ review, and approval may hinge on FCC ownership rule changes, waivers or station divestitures.

A handful of states are preparing to sue to block Nexstar's acquisition of TEGNA if it receives FCC approval.

Current thinking is the process of crafting Baudrillardian simulacra enables and maintains authoritarianism because it necessarily dehumanizes by alienating from reality (and its consequences)

54 million bags baby! CBP finally has some real work to do

Trump tariffs: Customs and Border Protection tells judge it can't comply with refund order CBP told Court of International Trade Judge Richard Eaton that the total amount of IEEPA tariffs duties collected since last year is about $166 billion.

"CPB in a court filing cited its existing technology, processes and manpower requirements as the reasons it could not immediately comply with the conditions of Judge Richard Eaton’s order."

The jokes keep coming.

www.cnbc.com/2026/03/06/t...

Changes in paracetamol and leucovorin use after a White House briefing Changes in federal prescribing recommendations follow deliberate and transparent processes involving US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists, which normally include input from stakeholders an...

What happened after the weird Sept 2025 White House press conference on autism?

📉 Tylenol use in the ED dropped >10% among pregnant patients
📈 leucovorin rx jumped 93% among kids 5-17 immediately afterwards

new @thelancet.com today with @jeremyfaust.bsky.social

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

David Ellison Vows CNN Will Operate Independently as Paramount Buys Warner Bros.: ‘We Want to Be in the Truth Business’ Paramount Skydance's David Ellison maintained that CNN will remain an editorially independent news organization after his company closes its deal for Warner Bros. Discovery.

Ellison on CNN's post-merger independence: “So, look, I’ve said this since the beginning, which is, you know, when it really comes to editorial independence will absolutely be maintained. It’s maintained at CBS. It’ll be maintained at CNN."

So CNN will be like CBS.

variety.com/2026/tv/news...

Why Does Child Care Seem Less Affordable Than Ever?

Just a hello to other parents
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/u...

Glenn Beck masterfully walking the thin, almost vaporous line between inspired satire and just insane fucking stupidity

News Corp is essentially an AI ‘input company’, chief executive says, after US$150m deal with Meta Chief executive Robert Thomson says he often speaks to both OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg

“News Corp’s global chief executive has described news organisations as a valuable “input” for artificial intelligence, as the media empire signs an AI content licensing deal with Meta worth up to US$50m (A$71m) a year.”
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/m...

"Iran succession: Asked who he would like to take over Iran, Mr. Trump gave a strikingly blunt answer. “Most of the people we had in mind are dead,” he said. “Now we have another group, they may be dead also, based on reports. So you have a third wave coming. Pretty soon we’re not going to know anybody.”"

www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03...

After Netflix Drops Warner Bros. Bid, GOP Senator Cancels Planned Antitrust Hearing; Top Democrat Vows To “Exercise Congress’ Oversight Authority” — Update Mike Lee dropped plans for a hearing next week.

😂 now that it's a trump allied billionaire owning massive swaths of media all the phony antitrust concerns magically disappear

Anthropic is the best, most peaceful, and most amazing tech company in the world. Discuss.

Radiohead is demanding that the Trump administration take down a pro-ICE promotional video featuring a version of its song “Let Down” without permission.

Full statement from the band:

Post-takeover Paramount-WBD's share of the $223B US tv, streaming & film industries will soar from ~10% to over 25%. It will control ~1/2 of the cable tv market. The takeover will nearly double Paramount’s share of the video streaming market, uniting HBO Max, Paramount+ and Discovery. 2/

Data underpinning this thread is from the @sshrc-crsh.canada.ca supported Global Media & Internet Concentration Project. Using our new dashboard, you can assess the impact of Paramount's bid for WBD on specific media sectors or various combinations in the US & internationally. gmicp.org/dashboard/

Paramount's take over of Warner Bros. Discovery is bad news for several reasons. It runs roughshod over the DOJ/FTC Merger Guidelines with respect to streaming, film and pay tv markets. 1/

Excited for Melania 2 (with Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan)

One family is about to control CBS, CNN, HBO, and TikTok. They’ll buy Warner Brothers with $24 billion from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. To win over Trump, they canceled Colbert, blocked a 60 Minutes CECOT investigation, and blocked Talarico. Much more will follow. Block this rotten deal.

If this goes through what are the odds Bari Weiss runs CBS *and* CNN?

Also, here are the instructions on how to cancel your Paramount+ subscription from the horse's mouth, should you be so inclined: support.paramountplus.com/s/article/PI...

Paramount off to a good start after winning the bid for Warner Bros Discovery.
variety.com/2026/film/ne...

*won't kill and surveil you through the U.S. government!

Theoretically, antitrust authorities would stop this horizontal merger, but with Trump having a stake in an Ellison-controlled CBS and CNN, among other media properties, the US media system is about to undergo a massive transformation.

Here's an earlier discussion of the stakes now that Netflix is out.
theconversation.com/a-paramount-...

Looks like the fight's over and it'll now be up to antitrust regulators to stop (given the close alliance between Trump and the Ellisons, chances are slim). "Netflix, Inc. today announced that it has declined to raise its offer for Warner Bros."
ir.netflix.net/investor-new...

And two of them are dependent on the legacy tech oligopolists for infrastructure, data...

Hegseth gives Anthropic CEO until Friday to back down in AI safeguards fight "The only reason we're still talking to these people is we need them and we need them now."

The Trump regime is using AI for mass surveillance of Americans, and plans to integrate AI into their weapons systems. They are trying to extort Anthropic for refusing to go along.

The oligarchs and their would-be King want to make human beings like us obsolete.

Race to the top, bay-beeeeee