There's proposed settlement to resolve the ongoing legal dispute between Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News, and President Donald Trump.
The dispute centers on a $20 billion lawsuit filed by Trump in October 2024, alleging that CBS’s 60 Minutes deceptively edited an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris to mislead voters, violating a Texas consumer protection law. The lawsuit, which initially sought $10 billion, was amended to $20 billion in February 2025. Paramount has maintained that the broadcast was not doctored or deceitful, calling the lawsuit baseless and an affront to First Amendment rights.
According to news reports, a proposal has emerged to break the deadlock in settlement negotiations. The plan involves CBS airing millions of dollars in public service announcements (PSAs) for causes favored by the Trump administration.
Sources indicate that Trump’s legal team and Paramount are considering this as part of mediation efforts to resolve the $20 billion lawsuit. Specifically, posts on X from May 30, 2025, suggest that the PSAs would be for initiatives aligned with the administration’s priorities, though exact details on the causes or the value of the ads were not specified.
Paramount offered $15 million to settle the suit, which Trump rejected, with his team reportedly seeking at least $25 million and an apology from CBS. The negotiations are complicated by Paramount’s pending $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media, which requires approval from the Trump-appointed FCC chair, Brendan Carr. Some speculate that settling the lawsuit could smooth the merger’s regulatory path, though Paramount insists the lawsuit and merger are unrelated.
However, the idea of a settlement, particularly involving PSAs, has raised concerns.
Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Ron Wyden, along with the Freedom of the Press Foundation, have warned that such a deal could violate federal anti-bribery laws and undermine journalistic integrity. They argue it might signal that politically motivated lawsuits can succeed, chilling investigative reporting. CBS News staff, including 60 Minutes producers, have also expressed alarm, with some viewing the lawsuit as a “shakedown” and fearing a settlement would set a dangerous precedent.
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