Trump Ally Promises CNN Overhaul If Paramount Succeeds in Warner Bros. Takeover

Billionaire tech magnate Larry Ellison and his son, David Ellison, are at the center of a political and corporate drama that could redefine American media—and the fate of CNN.

According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the Ellisons have privately assured President Donald Trump that if their company, Paramount Global, succeeds in its $108 billion hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), they will impose sweeping reforms at CNN, the network Trump has long branded “fake news.”

The competing bid comes just days after Netflix reached a $72 billion agreement to acquire Warner’s film and HBO assets. Crucially, the Netflix proposal does not include CNN, which would be spun off into a separate company under its deal structure.

By contrast, Paramount’s offer explicitly includes CNN—and the Ellisons have made clear they intend to remake it from the ground up.

The Wall Street Journal reported that during private meetings in Washington, David Ellison told senior Trump officials that under Paramount ownership, CNN would undergo a “fundamental cultural and editorial overhaul.” His father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, discussed firing prominent CNN anchors such as Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar, two figures Trump has publicly criticized.

“The president wants new ownership of CNN and changes to CNN programming,” one White House official said. “He thinks the current leadership is openly hostile and believes a sale is long overdue.”

Both Ellisons have worked to cultivate Trump’s confidence as the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division—which reports to the president—will ultimately decide whether either deal is approved. The father-son duo were seen with Trump in the presidential box at the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, just 48 hours before Paramount’s counteroffer was announced.

According to The Guardian, Larry Ellison personally phoned the president after the Netflix-Warner announcement to argue that a Netflix acquisition “would hand Silicon Valley near-total control over streaming media” and stifle competition.

David Ellison has publicly described his vision for CNN and CBS News under a single, merged news division. In a CNBC interview, he said Paramount’s goal is to “build a scaled news service that is in the trust business, in the truth business, that speaks to the 70 percent of Americans in the middle.”

The Ellison plan would place the combined CNN–CBS News operation under the direction of Bari Weiss, the former New York Times columnist who recently took over as CBS News editor-in-chief and has rebranded the network as “anti-woke.” Her first major move was hiring Matt Gutman, formerly of ABC News, as CBS’s chief correspondent across CBS Mornings, CBS Evening News, and 48 Hours.

Recently, Gutman drew sharp criticism for remarks made while covering the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk. During a live broadcast, he described text messages released between the alleged killer and his romantic partner as “very touching” and “intimate,” casting them in a sympathetic light despite the gravity of the crime.

Within 24 hours, Gutman issued an apology on social media, stating he “deeply regretted” that his words could be construed as insensitive, and asserting that he unequivocally condemns the assassination and the pain caused to Kirk’s family and supporters.

The Ellisons’ proposed acquisition would realign CNN with this alleged “post-woke” CBS ethos—one aimed squarely at restoring what David Ellison calls “viewer trust.”

Despite the outburst, aides say Trump remains open to the Paramount bid—particularly given that it includes CNN, unlike the Netflix plan. The president has privately told advisers he wants “real reform” at CNN and believes a Paramount acquisition could finally bring accountability to what he views as a hostile outlet.

At a White House roundtable Monday, Trump said, “I know the companies very well. I know what they’re doing. But I have to see what percentage of market they have. None of them are particularly great friends of mine. I want to do what’s right.”

The proposed megadeals have already triggered rare bipartisan alarm. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called both mergers “anti-monopoly nightmares,” while Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) warned that such consolidation “would shrink consumer choice and silence independent voices.”

A Wall Street Journal political newsletter summed up the moment succinctly: “Both Netflix and Paramount are acting like the fate of any multibillion-dollar deal runs through the Oval Office—because it does.”

Iran Claims Strike on U.S. Ammo Depot in UAE; Israel Launches Attacks on Tehran (NLDO) — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it struck a U.S. ammunition depot at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates as part of its “True Promise 4” operation. Iran expands attacks across the Gulf According to Tasnim, powerful explosions rocked the base on March 16, prompting U.S. forces to evacuate personnel and relocate fighter jets to other facilities. In an earlier statement, the IRGC claimed its retaliatory strikes had destroyed more than 80% of U.S. strategic radar systems and key infrastructure at American military bases in the region. Radar image released by Iran allegedly shows a heavily damaged U.S. military base in the Middle East — Photo: Tasnim Targets across the UAE, both onshore and offshore, remained under attack on March 17. State news agency WAM reported that drones triggered explosions and fires at an oil storage facility in Fujairah, a major energy hub in the UAE. A tanker anchored off the country’s eastern coast was also struck in an air attack the same day, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The vessel, located in the Gulf of Oman, sustained minor structural damage, with no reported injuries. Also on March 17, two security officials said four drones targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, early in the morning but were intercepted by the U.S. C-RAM air defense system. However, debris from the intercept reportedly struck the embassy compound. Another airstrike appeared to hit a house inside the heavily fortified presidential complex in Baghdad’s al-Jadriya district. Other Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar and Kuwait, were also targeted by Iranian strikes on March 16 and 17. Missiles launched from Iran — Photo: Tasnim Israel strikes Tehran and Beirut On the same day, the Israeli military announced on Instagram that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had launched large-scale strikes on Iranian infrastructure across Tehran, as well as Hezbollah targets in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital. According to Al Jazeera, Israeli airstrikes hit several towns in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli aircraft targeted Taybe, Majadel, and Zibqin before expanding strikes to Yater and Kafra. Beyond drones, Iran has continued deploying advanced missile systems. In a statement on March 15, the IRGC said it used the Sejjil-2 missile for the first time in strikes against Israel — a weapon Tehran described as a “nightmare” even for the United States.