tldr: What seemed possible — but hard to believe — before President Trump took office once more has now taken shape: A number of corporate and individual owners of media that promise to hold power to account have instead bowed to it. So too have the chiefs of two major social media platforms — among the richest people on the planet.
The $16 million settlement over an interview CBS' 60 Minutes conducted last fall with then-Vice President Kamala Harris smooths the path for Redstone and Paramount to secure the approval of the Federal Communications Commission to sell the company to Skydance Media, a deal bankrolled by Oracle founder Larry Ellison, a Trump ally. The FCC must sign off on the transfer of the broadcast licenses for CBS' local TV stations for the deal to go through.