Overview

• CBS and Paramount Global argued in their recent Texas federal court filing that the contested broadcasts are fully protected editorial speech under the First Amendment and not commercial speech subject to false advertising laws.
• Trump and Rep. Ronny Jackson are seeking $20 billion in damages under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the federal Lanham Act, alleging that the network’s edited excerpts of Kamala Harris’s interview siphoned traffic from their media ventures and caused financial harm.
• The network’s filing challenged the suit’s venue and jurisdiction, pointing out that the Harris interview was produced in Washington, D.C., and aired from New York City, with no connections to Texas.
• Mediators are overseeing ongoing settlement talks in which Paramount offered $15 million but Trump’s team has countered with demands of at least $25 million plus a formal apology from CBS.
• CBS supplied unedited transcripts and full interview footage to the FCC, which is actively investigating a separate consumer complaint about potential news distortion that could influence Paramount’s proposed merger with Skydance Media.