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 named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Global oil prices have surged past $110 a barrel this Monday as fresh U.S.-Israeli strikes hit multiple targets, including oil depots. Stock markets fell on fears the conflict with Iran could disrupt shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns over global energy supply.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran to expect further strikes on Saturday (7 March). In a post on social media, he said Iran would be 'hit very hard'. His comments came a week into the conflict with Iran, which has spread across the Middle East.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened further attacks on Iran on Saturday (7 March), while the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia continued to shoot down missiles in their airspace. Meanwhile, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would stop attacking its neighbours.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
Baku has completed its evacuation of staff from the Azerbaijan Consulate General in Tabriz, while most employees from the Azerbaijan Embassy in Tehran have also returned.
Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport came under attack in heavy airstrikes on early Saturday morning (7 March), Iranian news agencies reported.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened further attacks on Iran on Saturday (7 March), while the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia continued to shoot down missiles in their airspace. Meanwhile, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would stop attacking its neighbours.
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s second largest city in the early hours of Saturday (7 March) killed 10 people, including two children. Kharkiv mayor, Ihor Terekov, said 10 residents died after a Russian ballistic missile hit a five storey apartment block in the city.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
Recent operations by the U.S. military have led some to believe that a decapitating strike is a silver bullet capable of fixing any foreign policy problem swiftly. However, this logic is flawed, and the risks of relying on swift, targeted actions are too great to ignore.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Global oil prices have surged past $110 a barrel this Monday as fresh U.S.-Israeli strikes hit multiple targets, including oil depots. Stock markets fell on fears the conflict with Iran could disrupt shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns over global energy supply.
The U.S. embassy in Oslo was hit by a loud explosion early on Sunday (8 March), causing minor damage but no injuries, in what may have been a deliberate attack linked to the crisis in the Middle East, Norwegian police said.
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