ICYMI: Booker Holds Forum on Risks of Paramount–Skydance / Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Ahead of Shareholder Vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, convened a shadow hearing this week examining the proposed Paramount–Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. At the hearing, Booker heard from acclaimed actor Mark Ruffalo; Academy Award–winning filmmaker David Borenstein; Director of Legal Services at the Writers Guild Michael Isaac; attorney and journalist Katie Phang; and Co-founder and Executive Director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund Mara Verheyden-Hilliard. Each of the witnesses warned that the merger would put “ tens of thousands of media professionals at risk of losing their jobs ” and poses a “ threat to democracy itself.” SEE FOR YOURSELF: The Wrap Mark Ruffalo Slams Paramount–Warner Bros. Merger as Threat to “Democracy Itself” at Senate Hearing: “Driven by Greed” April 16, 2026 By: Jacob Bryant Mark Ruffalo: “Don’t trust that this new company will somehow make more films with less money and so much more debt.” VARIETY Mark Ruffalo Blasts Paramount–Warner Bros. Merger at Senate Hearing: “Don’t Trust Empty Promises from Billionaires” April 15, 2026 By: Todd Spangler Mark Ruffalo: “We do not have to watch Citizen Kane or read 1984 to understand that the concentrated oligarchic control this merger represents is a threat to a free press, an informed populace, and democracy itself." Mark Ruffalo: “Tens of thousands of media professionals will be at risk of losing their jobs as the Ellisons and their Middle Eastern investment partners— the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi —try to squeeze every penny out of this massive entity.” @MorePerfectUS Mark Ruffalo testifying at a hearing on the Paramount–WBD merger called by Cory Booker April 15, 2026 By: More Perfect Union Mark Ruffalo: “Don’t trust empty promises from billionaires driven by greed and corrosive ideology.” @markruffalo “Wow. David Borenstein calls out the ‘Melania’ so-called documentary for what it is: political bribery hiding in plain sight.” April 15, 2026 By: Mark Ruffalo David Borenstein: “The political influence creeping into the industry is already undeniable. A Warner Bros. Discovery–Paramount merger would supercharge it—paving the way for more projects like ‘Melania,’ where storytelling is bent to serve those in power.” @artcandee MeidasTouch Network host Katie Phang testifies in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the proposed merger of Paramount–Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery April 15, 2026 By: Art Candee Katie Phang: “Democracy cannot survive if powerful people get to decide which facts are allowed to exist and what version of the truth they want to peddle for profit.” SEE ALSO: Booker Holds Forum on Risks of Paramount–Skydance / Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Ahead of Shareholder Vote