As July began, Paramount paid $16 million to settle a Trump civil suit. As July ended, Trump's FCC appointees approved Paramount’s $8 billion merger deal.

The FCC's approval, which was necessary for the deal to move forward, caps a long-running corporate saga over the fate of Paramount, which owns Paramount+, the Paramount Pictures movie and television studios, the CBS television network and CBS News and Stations. Paramount also owns Nickelodeon, BET, MTV, Comedy Central and other media brands.

The merger clears the way for an $8.4 billion sale of some of the most prominent names in entertainment, including CBS, Paramount, and Nickelodeon.