Gabriel Lezra
@gabelezra.bsky.social
Policy at Democracy Defenders @democracydefendersaction.org @democracydefendersfund.org | Formerly @citizensforethics.org Debevoise & Plimpton @georgetownlaw.bsky.social | Building a democracy for the many
Here's another nugget in the Ellison op-ed: he points at three films to prove that he can't always predict financial success. All three are sequels in big budget franchises: Terminator: Dark Fate; Top Gun: Maverick; and GI Joe: Retaliation.
Gabriel Lezra@gabelezra.bsky.social · 3d agoThey say they’ll release 30 movies per year. Nonsense. That’s one movie every ten days or so. And with all that debt they’ll focus on moneymakers: Mission Impossible 15, another franchise reboot. There’s no incentive to take risks, so we’ll lose the exciting art that really moves people.
David Ellison just published an op-ed in the New York Times--and this is the argument he's going with. There's no better demonstration that the narrative that #BlockTheMerger is political serves Paramount's interests than Paramount's CEO making it in the paper of record.
Gabriel Lezra@gabelezra.bsky.social · 3d agoBut it’s so much more than that. And framing the entire opposition as political doesn’t just miss the point—it’s damaging. It lets the people behind the merger make it partisan; and that’ll make people instinctively choose sides, creating a base of support for the merger that doesn’t exist right now
The attempt to frame the Paramount-WBD merger as a political fight—like it’s all about CNN or Trump or something—is, in my view, an attempt to undermine the real problem: that consolidation will harm workers, raise prices for steaming and cable and sports during a cost of living crisis,👇
The Paramount Warners merger is not only hitting a wall of opposition in the US We @democracydefendersfund.org have also filed a complaint in the UK, which has said it is "minded to act" Stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming & Benedict Wong urge that the UK do so @theguardian.com
A TV and cinema calamity could be disastrous for what you watch and what you know. Act now to stop that | Alan Cumming, Benedict Cumberbatch and Benedict Wong
The Paramount-Warner Bros merger is being fought on both sides of the Atlantic. Britain’s culture secretary knows the risks and can intervene. She should, say actors led by Alan Cumming, Benedict Cumb...
theguardian.com
What's wild about the ticking fee argument to me is that it's entirely self-inflicted. They're complaining that they'll be harmed by a deal they negotiated and signed. Asking the court to stop them from shooting themselves in the foot.
El primer país en tener los dos Mundiales, femenino y masculino, al mismo tiempo—en toda la historia del fútbol.
www.nytimes.com/2026/07/12/b... It’s amazing what a group of committed passionate people can do. For all you who signed onto the letters, film makers and journalists, and kept pushing, speaking to the AGs and sharing your stories…Thank you. They said it was inevitable, it’s not. #blockthemerger
States Prepare Lawsuit to Block Paramount’s Merger With Warner Bros.
State attorneys general are said to be getting ready to file a lawsuit as soon as this week to halt the $111 billion deal, a potential major obstacle.
nytimes.com
Trump involving himself is helping tons of people find out that FIFA is incredibly corrupt and just exudes comic book levels of evil. You love to see it.
I didn’t think we’d ever see another Messi/Cristiano (and we won’t) but wow the vibe is that Haaland and Mbappe are going to define world football for like the next half decade plus.
www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/c... A little about what the Paramount Warner Bros Merger will mean to Europe. Translate in your web browser. #BlockTheMerger
Mark Ruffalo contro fusione Paramount–Warner: “L'Europa protegga libertà dei media dagli oligarchi”
In una lettera, cofirmata con l’attivista green Stephanie Brancaforte, ex direttrice di Change.org Italia, la star di Hollywood proteggete i creatori europei e…
repubblica.it
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Alvaro M. Bedoya@bedoyausa.bsky.social · 10mo agoI used to focus on left versus right. Now I’m much more worried about the money at the top. But while it might seem strange to say it, I think this is a hopeful way of looking at the world that opens the door to coalitions that seemed impossible before. My first for the @newrepublic.com:
If you all like this I’d encourage you to listen to some of Ray Hudson’s old calls. One of the greatest to ever do it.
Chris Hayes@chrislhayes.bsky.social · last mo.Announcer called Messi "that magical little man"
Here's just one of the workers we talked to last Tuesday in Atlanta. The moment the Disney/Fox merger went through, Roger Thacher's job was shipped to Canada. People in Atlanta oppose the Paramount/WBD merger because they have lived through these mergers and know about the job losses that follow.
Alvaro M. Bedoya@bedoyausa.bsky.social · 2mo agoA Paramount-WBD merger would hit Atlanta *hard*: - 6K in predicted layoffs will hit ATL heavy due to overlapping back-end ops - Turner/WBD’s Techwood campus may be sold - Fewer films = less work for Trilith, Assembly, Shadowspace - This comes AFTER huge cuts at TCM, Adult Swim & Cartoon Network
Coldest take of all time: showing ads during the World Cup hydration breaks is a travesty—but we should have expected it. Like of course Fox found a way to inject ads into this sport. Anyways, anyone with high school level Spanish should watch matches on Telemundo. Inarguably better coverage anyways
If the Paramount-WBD merger progresses, Atlanta is likely going to be first on the chopping block. That means even more middle class families losing paychecks, even fewer options for small businesses, and fewer voices like Oscar nominee Christalyn Hampton that tell the real American story.
Alvaro M. Bedoya@bedoyausa.bsky.social · 2mo agoA Paramount-WBD merger would hit Atlanta *hard*: - 6K in predicted layoffs will hit ATL heavy due to overlapping back-end ops - Turner/WBD’s Techwood campus may be sold - Fewer films = less work for Trilith, Assembly, Shadowspace - This comes AFTER huge cuts at TCM, Adult Swim & Cartoon Network
These are some of the many, many films and television projects that were made in Georgia. As we found out in today’s Main Street vs. The Merger event in Atlanta, consolidation has already begun to decimate this historic industry. If the Paramount-WBD merger goes through things will only get worse.
TODAY! Join the great @bedoyausa.bsky.social in conversation with @hankjohnson.house.gov at the legendary Plaza Theater in Atlanta at 1PM EDT. Come to hear about how the Paramount-WBD mega-merger will harm the people who can least afford it: Georgia’s middle class who truly make our TV and movies
If the Paramount - Warner Bros Discovery merger goes through, one company—one family—would have editorial control over the CBS and CNN archives. That’s editorial control over history itself. Tell the CMA to #BlockTheMerger at blockthemerger.com/uk
Turns out that if you gut CBS news, gut 60 Minutes, promise to gut CNN, cancel Colbert, get $29B in Saudi, Qatari & UAE money, and hold a weird lavish banquet for the President and acting AG in a federal building… you can get your illegal merger approved by DOJ
The key message from our #BlockTheMerger Main Street vs The Merger events is simple: the people this merger will harm most are the people who can afford it least. It will decimate the middle class jobs—the grips, set designers, carpenters—who make the films and television that tell our stories. Vid:
Gabriel Lezra on Instagram: "Paramount - Warner Bros Discovery isn’t a media merger. It’s a way to control what information we consume, which stories about America and the world get told — and who get...
15 likes, 0 comments - gabriel_lezra on May 11, 2026: "Paramount - Warner Bros Discovery isn’t a media merger. It’s a way to control what information we consume, which stories about America and the wo...
instagram.com
Gee what a shock: Trump admin wont stop the Paramount-WBD merger pushed by his cronies the Ellisons Fortunately the state AG's, EU, UK & others are serious about defending democracy & free speech We in the #BlockTheMerger coalition won't stop fighting & will win! www.politico.com/news/2026/06...
Justice Department approves Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros.
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division signed off on Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros., allowing the blockbuster media merger to move forward.
politico.com
There are four key TV archives in the US: ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN. This is the footage filmmakers use to tell our history. If Paramount buys Warner Brothers, two of those archives - including 45 years of CNN footage- will be controlled by one company and likely one person, Bari Weiss.
🙏🏽 @normeisen.bsky.social & @gabelezra.bsky.social Not sure this DOJ gambit is the worst thing Trump has done, but it’s the most audacious FU to the country…and that’s saying something.
Trump’s Illegal $1.7 Billion Cash Grab
And other corruption scandals: A Contrarian Top 10 list
open.substack.com
With @normeisen.bsky.social for the @contrariannews.org today. One thing in here that's particularly bizarre and upsetting: Eric Trump's “let’s create a Terminator” startup landed a $24 million contract to build battlefield humanoid robots for the Pentagon. www.contrariannews.org/p/trump-and-...
Trump’s Illegal $1.7 Billion Cash Grab
And other corruption scandals: A Contrarian Top 10 list
contrariannews.org
WATCH LIVE: My friends and colleagues @katiephang.bsky.social David Borenstein and @markruffalo.bsky.social are testifying about the Paramount-WBD merger—and why allowing oligarchs to take control of our country’s media infrastructure harms consumers and our democracy. m.youtube.com/watch?v=xETe...
LIVE: Katie Phang TESTIFIES For CONGRESS Over MAJOR Merger
YouTube video by Katie Phang
m.youtube.com
LIVE: #BlockTheMerger hearing led by @booker.senate.gov is streaming here 👉 www.youtube.com/live/xETe83T... Here we are just before the hearing with the Senator & the witnesses--including @katiephang.bsky.social & other @democracydefendersaction.org colleagues
With @normeisen.bsky.social for the @contrariannews.org — we need to talk about the Paramount-WB merger. This deal is anti-competitive, will harm consumers of every single type of media… and represents a massive Trumpist takeover of the way we get information. www.contrariannews.org/p/no-kings-o...
No Kings of America — Or of Media Either
Why the Paramount-Warner merger is not a done deal: Publisher's Roundup 60
contrariannews.org
Next Tuesday, 3/17 at noon ET I will be speaking on this panel hosted by the DC Bar on the #ftcvmeta trial that I attended last year for the Big Tech on Trial Substack. There are great panelists including @tarap.bsky.social Dan Gilman, Joseph Coniglio & Justin Katz