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White House Could Use AT&T/Time Warner Deal As 'Leverage' Against CNN (arstechnica.com)

An anonymous reader shares an excerpt from a report via Ars Technica: AT&T seems to be on track to close its purchase of Time Warner Inc., but President Donald Trump's hatred of Time Warner property CNN could still be a "wild card" in the deal. Trump's feud with CNN was described yesterday in a New York Times article titled "The Network Against the Leader of the Free World." Within that article is one tidbit that could affect AT&T's proposed $85.4 billion purchase of Time Warner, which owns CNN and other media properties such as HBO and Turner Broadcasting System: "White House advisers have discussed a potential point of leverage over their adversary, a senior administration official said: a pending merger between CNN's parent company, Time Warner, and AT&T. Mr. Trump's Justice Department will decide whether to approve the merger, and while analysts say there is little to stop the deal from moving forward, the president's animus toward CNN remains a wild card."

Separately, The Daily Caller wrote today that Trump doesn't want the merger to be approved unless CNN President Jeff Zucker is fired. The conservative news website attributed the information to "a source familiar with President Trump's thinking." Zucker told the New York Times that the pending merger has not affected his journalistic or management decisions.

29 of 302 comments (clear)

  1. s/Trump/Obama/g by Bigbutt · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm always interested in the opinions of folks if any article, regardless of the media source, replaced Trump with Obama in the article.

    [John]

    --
    Shit better not happen!
    1. Re:s/Trump/Obama/g by Train0987 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Is that a joke? How many reporters were under surveillance during the Obama administration? Several that we know of. Not to mention his weaponized use of the IRS.

    2. Re:s/Trump/Obama/g by aicrules · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If CNN/NY Times had levied this level of attack to Obama, I would be citing those stories as proof that they aren't biased, just hollow brained. They are supposed to be a world class news agency, yet they continue to publish unverified stories that can't even be followed up on to fact check. It's honestly like they are trying to self destruct because eventually this shit will catch up with them. It already has in some areas...they just don't seem to care enough to change....oh wait..maybe the hint is in the fact noted in the article that they (CNN) are making so much money being exactly this kind of news agency. Fuck integrity, just sell ads!

    3. Re:s/Trump/Obama/g by swillden · · Score: 4, Informative

      I'm always interested in the opinions of folks if any article, regardless of the media source, replaced Trump with Obama in the article.

      [John]

      I'm no fan of Obama, but I don't think he ever did anything remotely similar to this, (allegedly) threatening to kill a merger unless a news network stops criticizing him. The most he ever did was threaten to exclude Fox from the press pool at an event (and then backed down).

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    4. Re:s/Trump/Obama/g by modmans2ndcoming · · Score: 4, Informative

      WTF? are you kidding me? 1) Yes they did 2) It is their job to report on bad shit our leaders do 3) Retaliation against a free press from the white house is NOT ok.

    5. Re:s/Trump/Obama/g by swillden · · Score: 5, Insightful

      FYI: You're living in a reality distortion field. You should turn that off.

      Obama didn't fire Wagoneer, he asked him to resign and Wagoneer agreed. And the motivation for the request was GM's request for a multi-billion dollar bailout; the resignation wasn't a condition of receiving the bailout, but IMO it would have been perfectly reasonable if it were. If a CEO has to beg the government to save his company, he's clearly failed.

      What was your dipshit Obama suckup point again?

      Sigh. This is the sad state of what passes for political discussion in the US. One can't state facts that show one side in a bad light without being accused of being partisan for the other side. I didn't care for Obama and I'm glad he's not the the White House any more. That said, I'd gladly trade Trump for just about anybody, Obama included.

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    6. Re:s/Trump/Obama/g by quantaman · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm always interested in the opinions of folks if any article, regardless of the media source, replaced Trump with Obama in the article.

      [John]

      If Obama had threatened regulatory action against Fox unless Fox News ditched Roger Ailes or some pundit then it would rightfully be a major political scandal.

      I don't think it would quite reach the level of impeachment, but it would easily have been the worst thing Obama did as a President.

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    7. Re:s/Trump/Obama/g by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Trump wants CEO of CNN fired.
      Obama FIRED the CEO of GM, Rich Wagoneer.

      What was your dipshit Obama suckup point again?
      That Obama actually DID what you are complaining that Trump says should be done and you were fine with it?

      Not even close to being an apt comparison.

      ...General Motors was financially vulnerable before the automotive industry crisis of 2008-2009. In 2005 the company posted a loss of US$10.6 billion. In 2006, its attempts to obtain U.S. government financing to support its pension liabilities and also to form commercial alliances with Nissan and Renault failed. For fiscal year 2007, GM's losses for the year were US$38.7 billion, and sales for the following year dropped by 45%. On November 7, 2008 General Motors reported it had projected it would run out of cash around mid-2009 without a combination of government funding, a merger, or sales of assets. Ten days later General Motors representatives, along with executives from Ford and Chrysler testified about their need for financial aid at a congressional hearing in Washington D.C. All three companies were unsuccessful in their attempts to obtain legislation to authorize U.S. government aid, and were invited to draft a new action plan for the sustainability of the industry. On December 2, 2008, General Motors submitted its "Restructuring Plan for Long-Term Viability" to the Senate Banking Committee and House of Representatives Financial Services Committee. Congress declined to act, but in December 2008 the Bush administration provided a "bridge loan" to General Motors with the requirement of a revised business plan.It said it needed $4.6 billion in loans within weeks, from the $18 billion it had already requested, and an additional $12 billion in financial support in order to stave off bankruptcy. On Feb. 26, 2009, General Motors announced that its cash reserves were down to $14 billion at the end of 2008. G.M. lost $30.9 billion, or $53.32 a share, in 2008 and spent $19.2 billion of its cash reserves. Mr. Wagoner met with President Obama’s auto task force, and the company said that it could not survive much longer without additional government loans. On the March 30, 2009 deadline President Barack Obama declined to provide financial aid to General Motors, and requested that General Motors produce credible plans, saying that the company's proposals had avoided tough decisions, and that Chapter 11 bankruptcy appeared the most promising way to reduce its debts, by allowing the courts to compel bondholders and trade unions into settlements. GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner was also forced to resign. ...

      3/30/2009 - Why Rick Wagoner Had To Go: The fall of General Motors Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner was unavoidable. There is no way President Obama could hand out more billions to a management with a practically unblemished record of failure. Yes, it’s certainly good news; the Wagoner management was never going to turn around General Motors . Never. After all, Wagoner has been chief executive since 2000 and head of North American auto operations six more years before that. His predecessor and mentor, Jack Smith, became chief in 1992. GM lost market share in the U.S. in all but a couple of those years. The losses in Wagoner’s last four years topped $80 billion. ...

    8. Re:s/Trump/Obama/g by swillden · · Score: 2

      Obama didn't fire Wagoneer, he asked him to resign and Wagoneer agreed.

      That's probably the dumbest sentence you've written all week. At the CxO level, no one gets fired.......they are asked to resign. It's the same thing.

      It's the same thing when the board asks, because the board could fire the CEO if the request were refused. But the president has no authority to fire employees of private companies, so it truly was just a request.

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  2. Too many mergers by tmshort · · Score: 3, Interesting

    While I am against the AT&T/Time-Warner merger (and was also against the Comcast/NBC-Universal merger), I think this goes too far. The Press is part of the checks and balances of the government. There have been lots of bad press against all former Presidents, but the President didn't use his powers against them like this. This blatantly violates the First Amendment.https://yro.slashdot.org/story/17/07/06/2255213/white-house-could-use-atttime-warner-deal-as-leverage-against-cnn#

    1. Re:Too many mergers by rickb928 · · Score: 2

      "The Press is part of the checks and balances of the government. "

      Not so much any more, and that's the problem.

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      deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
  3. Bad News by MightyYar · · Score: 4, Funny

    Since the overturn of Citizens United, I'm really worried about corporations' well-being. AT&T only has a market cap of $222.95 billion, and little 'ol Time Warner is only worth $78.66 billion. How are they going to look out for their own interests in the same way that a real life citizen making $40k/year would?

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  4. Made up? by unixcorn · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Whether it's CNN or any other news organization, does it bother others when you read shit like this;
    "The conservative news website attributed the information to "a source familiar with President Trump's thinking."
    I AM conservative and I call bullshit on printing hearsay like this. Come on media, print what he says, not what others think he his thinking is like.

    1. Re:Made up? by Jakester2K · · Score: 2

      At least we can be sure the source isn't the President....

  5. Re:Abuse of Power by Tempest_2084 · · Score: 2

    Not since the last one. And the one before that, and the one before that, and....

  6. Re: If this was a liberal administration by hey! · · Score: 2, Informative

    I wouldn't be applauding. The executive branch shouldn't be using it's powers to extort favorable coverage or to carry out the president's personal vendettas.

    Now here's an interesting question. Name a liberal president who would consider doing such a thing.

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  7. Balance by JBMcB · · Score: 3, Interesting

    On the one hand, Trump is a bit of a cry-bully and CNN can say anything they want.

    On the other, when an "unnamed source" says that Trump said something mean to someone in the oval office and CNN covers it for five hours straight, you tend to wonder what the hell is going on. There's some crazy deal going on with Qatar that's just a *bit* more important, why aren't they covering that more?

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    My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
    1. Re:Balance by Tablizer · · Score: 2

      The same conservatives who complain about CNN's shenanigans have ignored similar crap from Fox News.

      Cable news in general is crap: their MO is to get the audience frothed up so that they come back for more froth. That's how they can sell more ad eyeballs. They all should be spanked.
         

  8. Re: Abuse of Power by ud0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Has any former President ever been so open in his abuse of power?

    The President? It's CNN that is blackmailing people they disagree with.

    This is a fallacy. Being (ethically) corrupt isn't a zero-sum pool. They can both be horrible at the same time. It's still an abuse of power even if you're doing it to someone reprehensible. Also: criticizing one for their actions is not an implicit endorsement of the other party.

  9. Re:News for Nerds by Opportunist · · Score: 2

    Trump is going to bring the Mars to us!

    --
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  10. Re:Abuse of Power by aicrules · · Score: 4, Insightful

    He hasn't actually done what is stated in this article. Unnamed "White House advisers" and "source familiar with President Trump’s thinking". Yes, it is common for news agencies to report based on anonymous sources, but given the lack of journalistic integrity that has plagued coverage of Trump, shit like this has no place in headlines without verifiable sources. When I see any story about anybody that has it's sole source for such a damning quote being an anonymous source with nothing else to back it up, I immediately dismiss it. Doesn't matter if it's Trump, Obama, someone I love, or someone I hate. Literally none of the Trump connections to Russia in the formerly "earth shattering" Russia Dossier have been proven true. Yet it was bandied about like it was Trump's death sentence. Where are all the retractions? Three people at CNN fired? That's it? Bullshit. They just double down and go after the next fake story.

  11. Re:CNN is not the press by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    that same hairsplitting works on the 2nd amendment too. lets see how THAT works out...

  12. Re:Did by modmans2ndcoming · · Score: 2, Informative

    Right wing nut jobs trying to pass themselves off as legitimate....

  13. Re:Obama? by Sir+Holo · · Score: 2

    I'll take Obama for $1000 Alex

    BS.

    The video takes each clip entirely out of context. That alters Obama appears to be only focusing on.

    Each conversation covered other media outlets, except for the last one, where George Stephanopolous kept prompting Obama to say "Fox News", which Obama avoided for the first few attempts.

    The fact is, Fox News actually did broadcast anti-Obama pieces frequently, and even had "talking points" – specific phrases – for every talking head to repeat. . . an attempt at making something false believable if every reporter *cough* at Fox News repeated the same line. So, yes, your uncle who only watches Fox News would be un-debatable because logic** can never prevail against a mind which does not use it.

    ** Discussion in which only provable premises are allowed for use in the next step of the discussion thread.

  14. Re:The real story here by Sir+Holo · · Score: 2

    AT&T is trying to merge with TW which is also part of Comcast. As if you didn't have choices before, now they'll have virtually all of the DSL, Cable and Wireless market as well as all the media companies that come along under one big corporation. I thought Ma Bell was split up to prevent these kinds of things.

    It was.

    Fortunately for me, as HOA president, I made sure that every unit (~100) was wired for FiOS, in addition to the existing telephone and cable. Verizon sold off its fiber-optic biz in my area to Frontier. Now we have actual market competition. (I know, it is likely brief.)

    As evidence: Just last week, Frontier bumped all 50/50 Mbps clients to 100/100 Mbps. This was with no increase in monthly rates at all. I had anticipated this sort of thing, and opted to buy my home WiFi router –one capable of 300/300. In the home, between computers, we get that. To the outside world, it's 100/100 at the moment.

  15. Re:Thank you Trump! by paiute · · Score: 2, Insightful

    everyone who voted for either Hillary or Trump should be fucking shot.

    Fuck off, pal. I voted for Clinton because she was one of the most qualified candidates in recent memory. This bullshit of equating the two persons is just insane.

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  16. Re:Abuse of Power by quantaman · · Score: 3, Informative

    He hasn't actually done what is stated in this article. Unnamed "White House advisers" and "source familiar with President Trump’s thinking". Yes, it is common for news agencies to report based on anonymous sources, but given the lack of journalistic integrity that has plagued coverage of Trump, shit like this has no place in headlines without verifiable sources. When I see any story about anybody that has it's sole source for such a damning quote being an anonymous source with nothing else to back it up, I immediately dismiss it.

    Which, in the case of this administration, would have lead to you dismissing a lot of accurate news reports. Anonymous sources should be treated with caution yes, but not immediate dismissal.

    Doesn't matter if it's Trump, Obama, someone I love, or someone I hate. Literally none of the Trump connections to Russia in the formerly "earth shattering" Russia Dossier have been proven true.

    Which is why CNN only reported on the existence of the dossier, they didn't break it.

    Yet it was bandied about like it was Trump's death sentence. Where are all the retractions?

    Because there's nothing to retract, it hasn't been falsified. Of course the explosive claims are hard to falsify, which is one of the reasons CNN, despite having access to the dossier, deliberately held back the actual contents (until Buzzfeed broke them, an act most media organizations disagreed with).

    Three people at CNN fired? That's it? Bullshit. They just double down and go after the next fake story.

    CNN published one legitimately inaccurate story, and fired everyone involved.

    Can you imagine if Breitbart or even Fox News was held to that standard? Would Sean Spicer even last through a single press conference?

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    I stole this Sig
  17. Re:Thank you Trump! by MightyMartian · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So a lot like the right wing press during the Clinton and Obama administrations then...

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  18. Re:The real story here by 110010001000 · · Score: 4, Informative

    +5 insightful? TimeWarner Cable is not part of Comcast.