Newsom denies pressuring California AG into Paramount settlement after liberal backlash

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., denied Wednesday that he pressured California Attorney General Rob Bonta to settle his antitrust lawsuit with Paramount Skydance Corp. ahead of its proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.

Bonta originally led a group of state attorneys general who filed a lawsuit challenging the massive $111 billion deal that was initially expected to close during the third quarter of this year. By Monday, however, Paramount announced that a settlement had been reached, paving the way for the merger to continue.