David Ellison, the Skydance Media chief poised to control CNN through a $111 billion Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery merger, attended Thursday's White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping while CNN reporters remained barred from the event. The merger still requires approval from a federal judge, and Ellison's presence at the superpower sit-down underscores the political leverage he has cultivated with the Trump administration during the deal pursuit.
The merger and the guest list
Ellison, son of Oracle founder and Trump ally Larry Ellison, has shifted from past Democratic donor to frequent White House visitor in his pursuit of Paramount and now Warner Bros Discovery. The $111 billion combination would place CBS News and CNN under common ownership with Skydance, a structure that has drawn scrutiny from deal opponents who cite the administration's hostility toward the networks. A federal judge must still sign off on the settlement.
The tech tableau
The guest list read like a cap-table of American technology power. Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, Jeff Yass, Jensen Huang and Satya Nadella sat alongside traditional-industry chiefs Kelly Ortberg of Boeing, Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan, Michael Dell, Tim Cook of Apple and Jeff Bezos of Amazon and the Washington Post. Chinese officials including Vice Premier He Lifeng and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao faced the American delegation across the table.
The press credential fight
CNN, MS Now and Politico were banned from the White House last week. Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the outlets re-credentialed, and the White House complied for a portion of Thursday before reversing course for the state dinner. Fox News hosts Jesse Watters, Laura Ingraham and Bret Baier appeared on the official guest list with spouses. The administration has since launched Trump TV online, a parallel distribution channel that bypasses the credentialed press corps entirely.
What to watch
The merger's judicial review remains the critical path. Ellison's access to the president and to Xi, while the network he is buying is locked out, frames the leverage question in stark terms. The court will weigh whether the settlement serves the public interest or merely consolidates political favor. The next hearing date has not been set.