Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. President Donald Trump over a CBS “60 Minutes” interview, with the funds allocated to his future presidential library.
The settlement, reached on Wednesday, concludes a months-long legal dispute over a broadcast interview with the then-vice president Kamala Harris, which Trump alleged was deceptively edited to favour the Democratic Party. Paramount did not issue an apology or admit wrongdoing.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Texas last October, originally sought $10 billion in damages, later increased to $20 billion. Trump claimed that CBS aired conflicting versions of Harris’s comments on the Israel-Hamas war, which he said misled voters and violated Texas consumer protection laws.
CBS, a division of Paramount, had previously described the claims as “completely without merit” and sought to have the case dismissed.
Paramount said the $16 million settlement would be directed to Trump’s planned presidential library and “not paid to Trump directly or indirectly.” It also agreed that future '60 Minutes' interviews with presidential candidates would be accompanied by post-broadcast transcripts, subject to legal or national security redactions.
The mediation process began in April. A spokesperson for Paramount Chair Shari Redstone did not comment, and The White House did not respond to media queries. Trump’s lawyer Edward A Paltzik was not immediately available.
The deal marks another high-profile media concession to Trump. In December, ABC News settled a defamation case with a $15 million donation to the Trump library and issued a public apology for a misstatement by anchor George Stephanopoulos. Meta Platforms also paid $25 million to settle a lawsuit over Trump’s account suspensions following the 2021 Capitol riot.
The Paramount settlement comes as the company seeks regulatory approval for an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media. Trump, on the campaign trail, has previously threatened to revoke CBS’ broadcasting licence if re-elected.
Media law experts have raised concerns that Trump’s use of consumer protection statutes to pursue media organisations could test the limits of press freedoms in the U.S., where defamation cases involving public figures typically require proof of actual malice.
Separately, Trump is pursuing legal action against the Des Moines Register over a pre-election poll. That case, initially filed in federal court, was refiled in Iowa state court on 30 June.
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Iran has been at the centre of a rapidly escalating regional crisis since Saturday, when U.S. and Israeli military strikes hit Tehran. The attack prompted retaliatory strikes by Tehran across the Middle East, civillian casualties, maritime disruptions and international diplomatic responses.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
Kazakhstan and Serbia have agreed to deepen their strategic partnership following talks in Astana between Presidents Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Aleksandar Vučić, signalling a shift from political dialogue towards more practical cooperation.
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Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the clerical member of Iran’s temporary leadership council under Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iran has been at the centre of a rapidly escalating regional crisis since Saturday, when U.S. and Israeli military strikes hit Tehran. The attack prompted retaliatory strikes by Tehran across the Middle East, civillian casualties, maritime disruptions and international diplomatic responses.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
Türkiye raised its security level for Turkish-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz to Level 3 on Sunday (2 March). The development follows Iranian restrictions on shipping after U.S. and Israeli strikes and confirmation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death.
The UK said it's allowing the U.S. to use its bases for defensive strikes against Iran amid escalating missile attacks, after a suspected drone strike hit a British airbase in southern Cyprus, causing limited damage.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
European Union stands with its member states in the face of any threat, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in response to the drone strike that hit Britain's Royal Air Force base of Akrotiri in southern Cyprus overnight.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 27th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Protests broke out in Pakistan and Iraq on Sunday after Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in joint U.S.–Israeli strikes. At least nine people were reported dead in clashes near the U.S. consulate in Karachi.
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