Warner Bros Discovery will likely reject Paramount Skydance’s amended $108.4 billion hostile bid for the storied Hollywood studio despite a personal guarantee from billionaire Larry Ellison backing the media giant’s offer, according to a person familiar with the matter. The board has yet to make a final decision, but is expected to meet next week, said the person, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Warner Bros and Paramount declined to comment on the board’s position, reported earlier by CNBC. The decision could keep Warner Bros on track to pursue a rival cash-and-stock deal with Netflix despite Paramount’s attempt to sweeten its offer. Ellison, whose son David is chairman and CEO of Paramount, personally guaranteed the equity underpinning the bid, hoping to ease doubts that had dogged its earlier proposal. The company did not increase its $30-per-share all-cash offer, but it raised its regulatory reverse termination fee to match Netflix and extended its tender offer deadline. Netflix’s $82.7 billion offer, while lower in headline value, offers a clearer financing structure and fewer execution risks, analysts have said. Under terms of that agreement, Warner Bros would face a $2.8 billion breakup fee if it walks away from the Netflix deal. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships Harris Oakmark, Warner Bros’ fifth largest investor with 96 million shares, said the revised offer wasn’t “sufficient,” and noted that it was not enough to cover the breakup fee. Paramount has argued its bid would face fewer regulatory obstacles. A combined Paramount-Warner Bros entity would create a studio larger than industry leader Disney and merge two major television operators. Warner Bros’ board previously urged shareholders to reject Paramount’s $108.4 billion bid for the entire company, including its cable television assets, citing concerns over financing certainty and the absence of a full guarantee from the Ellison family. Paramount has argued its offer is more market-proof than Netflix’s $82.7 billion proposal, whose value has fluctuated with Netflix’s share price. Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about further consolidation in the media industry. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he plans to weigh in on the landmark acquisition. (Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Dawn Kopecki, Krishna Chandra Eluri, Anil D’Silva and David Gregorio)

WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services announced on Tuesday that it has frozen all child care payments to the state of Minnesota amid news of a massive fraud scandal in the state. “We have frozen all child care payments to the state of Minnesota,” Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill and Administration for Children & Families Assistant Secretary Alex Adams announced in a video released on X Tuesday evening. “You have probably read the serious allegations that the state of Minnesota has funneled millions of taxpayer dollars to fraudulent daycares across Minnesota over the past decade.” HHS has taken three actions “against the blatant fraud that appears to be rampant in Minnesota and across the country,” he explained. The first action: activating HHS’ “Defend the Spend system,” requiring justification and a receipt or photo evidence before they send money to a state. The second action hinges directly on journalist Nick Shirley’s investigative work over the past few months: O’Neill says that he and his colleagues have identified the individuals in Shirley’s video, and are demanding a “comprehensive audit of these centers,” including attendance records, licenses, complaints, investigations, inspections, and more. HHS said its third action is launching a fraud reporting hotline and email address where parents, providers, and members of the public can submit tips. “We have turned off the money spigot and we are finding the fraud,” the officials said. Independent journalist Nick Shirley speaks during a roundtable discussion in the State Dining Room of the White House on October 08, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Shirley’s viral videos show a number of examples of concerning activity in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, region. His work comes after a federal prosecutor said that there has been at least $9 billion in fraud in the state under Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz’s watch. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships The Daily Wire reported earlier this month that the Minnesota government was still paying an accused Somali fraudster to run assisted living homes as that man awaited trial for his alleged role in the nation’s largest COVID scam, in which he ran a fraudulent charity. According to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, 14 Medicaid services in Minnesota are at “high risk” for fraud. Shirley, who appeared on Fox News over the weekend, discussed how he found suspicious daycare and learning centers in Minneapolis with no children present that are potentially fronts for scams. “It’s so obvious,” Shirley explained, referring to the apparent fraud. “If you’re living in Minnesota, you have to raise your eyebrows and think, ‘What’s going on?’ Literally, if you drive around Minneapolis, you’ll see daycare centers, autism centers — you will then see transportation companies that have snow piled up as if they haven’t moved it in months.” “A kindergartner could’ve figured out there was fraud going on.” Walz addressed the viral reports on Tuesday, acknowledging that the state has been “taken advantage of” by fraudsters who prioritized “greed” over the needs of children and the elderly. But Walz blamed the issue on President Donald Trump. “We’ve spent years cracking down on fraud – referring cases to law enforcement, shutting down and auditing high-risk programs,” he said in a social media post. “Trump keeps letting fraudsters out of prison. To the national news just now paying attention, here’s what we’ve done to stop it.” We’ve spent years cracking down on fraud – referring cases to law enforcement, shutting down and auditing high-risk programs. Trump keeps letting fraudsters out of prison. To the national news just now paying attention, here’s what we’ve done to stop it. pic.twitter.com/bgvKPxVxxm — Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) December 30, 2025

A CNN panel discussion quickly veered off the rails when one guest claimed that Israel had invaded Gaza in much the same way that Russia invaded Ukraine. The conversation took place on “CNN NewsNight,” hosted by Abby Phillip, and spiraled out of control when “The Majority Report” host Emma Vigeland argued that the United States lacked credibility in addressing the conflict between Russia and Ukraine after supporting Israel. “I do think that the kind of elephant in the room here is the United States completely losing, and the Biden administration is immensely complicit in this as well, moral standing throughout the world due to our complicity in the genocide in Gaza. Which has made it very difficult for us to speak to Ukrainian sovereignty and having a bully like the Russian government invading their sovereign territory” she said. Conservative commentator Scott Jennings was clearly taken aback, but when he attempted to debate the point, Phillip called him off and said there wasn’t time. Jennings pressed onward regardless, undeterred. “We have to debate this, Abby. Oh, we don’t have time for the anti-Israel propaganda?” he began, and everyone at the table began talking at once. “Unbelievable. October the 7th was fine? Yeah, unbelievable.” Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships “Oh well, we let it unspool for two minutes. But sure. I mean, honestly, I don’t understand. Israel is our ally. Not a single word in your speech for the atrocities that were committed on October the 7th. Not a single word,” Jennings continued. “There shouldn’t be,” Vigeland doubled down. “We should cut off arms tomorrow.” “Not a single word for the idea that Israel has every right to defend itself,” Jennings said, and Vigeland could be seen laughing as he added, “Not a single word for the fact that Hamas right now is killing people inside of Gaza — their own people. You seem to lay it all at the feet of Israel. Israel, a democratic ally, and your own country, and you have no negative word for the terrorists who raped and murdered and kidnapped, zero.” Vigeland protested, saying that B’Tselem, an Israeli “human rights group” that has a clearly anti-Israel agenda, had referred to the situation in Gaza as a “genocide.” “None, none,” Jennings said. “And you still don’t. You still don’t!”

Popular oddsmaker Polymarket announced on Tuesday that Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) is 3o times more likely to be charged with a crime than he is to be elected the next President of the United States. The betting site shared that information along with additional data showing that he had a 23% chance of being charged within one year — by December 31, 2026 — and there was a 9% chance that he could be facing charges in as little as 90 days, by March 31, 2026. JUST IN: Tim Walz is now 30x more likely to be criminally charged than be the next President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/l5MrzbdAEO — Polymarket (@Polymarket) December 30, 2025 Related predictions show that there is a 52% chance that someone — although no one was named specifically — will be charged in the recently-revealed daycare fraud largely connected to the Somali community by January 31, 2026. The chances were much greater (89%) that charges will come by June 30, 2026, and still greater  (94%) that they will come by December 31, 2026. As far as Walz’s political aspirations, the site showed a 5% chance that he would announce a presidential run before 2027, a 1% chance that he’d win the 2028 Democratic nomination, and a 1% chance that he’d ultimately be successful in winning the presidency. Vice President JD Vance still tops the odds in that last category, with a 31% chance of winning the presidency in 2028. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships Should things not go Walz’s way, however, Polymarket puts the odds of him resigning as Governor of Minnesota before 2027 at 52%. The odds that he will resign by June 30, 2026, are set at 15%, and the odds he will resign prior to January 31, 2026, are set at 3%. Walz has been under fire for weeks as layer after layer of fraud has been uncovered in the state of Minnesota — and much of it took place on his watch or was made easier due to policies he put into place while serving as governor.

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs is facing disturbing allegations stemming from an incident with his private chef earlier this month. In early December, Diggs allegedly got into an argument with his personal chef via text over an apparent undelivered paycheck. The chef told police that the argument continued in person when Diggs entered her room, hit her in the face, and tried to choke her using his elbow. Diggs’ grip was tight, and when she tried to escape, the wide receiver tightened his hold before throwing her onto the bed, the chef claimed, per TMZ. According to NBC Boston, Diggs is charged with felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery. This altercation happened in Dedham, Massachusetts, the day after the Patriots beat the Giants on Monday Night Football on December 1. The alleged victim filed the complaint against Diggs on December 16. According to NBC Boston, the chef didn’t want to press charges at first because of Diggs’ fame and status, but ultimately decided to do so. The chef told police she has worked for Diggs since July of this year, and was supposed to work for him throughout the 2025 football season. At the time of the incident with Diggs, she claims she hadn’t received a month’s pay. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships Diggs’ attorney, David Meier, released a statement on Tuesday strongly denying the allegations against the NFL wide receiver. “They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated — because they did not occur. The timing and motivation for making the allegations is crystal clear: they are the direct result of an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction. Stefon looks forward to establishing the truth in a court of law.” The Patriots also released a statement: “The New England Patriots are aware of the accusations that have been made regarding Stefon Diggs. Stefon has informed the organization that he categorically denies the allegations. We support Stefon. We will continue to gather information and will cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities and the NFL as necessary. Out of respect for all parties involved, and given that this is an ongoing legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time.” NBC Boston reports Diggs’ arraignment is scheduled for January 23, which is the Friday before the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots clinched the AFC East title on Sunday. In that game, Diggs scored a touchdown — his first in nearly two months. The 32-year-old has a team-leading 82 receptions for 970 yards and four touchdowns this season. The Patriots wrap up the regular season Sunday before their postseason push for a Super Bowl. In response to The Daily Wire’s request for comment, Dedham Police Department said: “We are in receipt of your request for copies of records and information related to this matter. However, we are unable to fulfill this request at this time. A motion to impound records related to this matter is currently pending before the court, and we are awaiting the judge’s ruling on that motion. Until the court issues a decision, we are not releasing any documents or information.”