Pentagon Chief Backs David Ellison's CNN Takeover Amid Iran War Criticism

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has publicly endorsed David Ellison's potential takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery===CNN, criticizing the network's coverage of the Iran war. This comes as Paramount, led by Ellison, is pursuing a $110 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery===CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. The deal requires approval from the Donald Trump administration and the United States===Federal Communications Commission. Hegseth has also restricted press access for mainstream media outlets, including Fox Corporation===Fox News, The Washington Post, and Reuters, due to their reporting on the Iran war and Iran's disruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which has caused oil prices to rise. Warner Bros. Discovery===CNN has defended its reporting, which stated that the United States===United States Department of Defense and the United States===National security council underestimated Iran's willingness to close the strait. Concerns have been raised by lawmakers about the media merger's impact on consumer choice and editorial independence.