FCC Chairman Brendan Carr was asked to respond to criticisms of the Trump administration's intervention in the free press.

Upon the deal’s closing, Skydance and its financial partners are set inject $1.5 billion in cash into Paramount. However, that’s intended to go toward reducing Paramount’s long-term debt ($14.16 billion as of Q1 of 2025) to help stabilize its balance sheet.

When the FCC approved the Paramount-Skydance merger Thursday, one commissioner blasted the decision, calling it an act of “ cowardly capitulation ” on behalf of Paramount and warning that this could lead to a further “erosion of our First Amendment protections.”

The cable business has cratered. The news division is in turmoil. A.I. is coming for movies. And those are just the obvious challenges.

Chairman Brendan Carr thinks his agency should strive to ensure that news coverage is fair and balanced—a role precluded by the First Amendment.

Shares of Paramount are set to open higher Friday after long-awaited FCC approval for its merger erased a big question mark hovering over the company's future, but amid ongoing uncertainty about its strategic plans under Skydance Media.

President of Media Matters for America Angelo Carusone and President of Brialliant Corners Research Cornell Belcher join Nicolle Wallace to discuss the FCC's approval of Paramount's merger with Skydance after they made a series of decisions favorable to the Trump administration.