Fox Corp said Friday that it completed its $22 billion acquisition of streaming giant Roku, in a major move to bolster the broadcaster's advertising business, as well as grow the online reach of its sports and news programming.
Page F138From§Eachthe evening edition — 8 November 2026
Two votes at the Federal Communications Commission ended the decades-old limit on television consolidation; $22 billion goes to the next merger a month later.
As it ran on the front
You will have seen the word repeal and pictured a vote in Congress. Put that down. The limit on consolidation among television broadcasters — decades old, and it was Congress that wrote it — came off the books in August, two votes to one, along party lines, at the Federal Communications Commission, pushed by the chair, Brendan Carr. Two votes. A rule of that age does not die of old age. It gets outvoted. Outvoted, mind you, not refuted, and the outvoting obliges nobody to say the rule was wrong.
Then the coalition, and here you must watch the order of things. Nonprofit groups and labour unions filed an emergency petition — the wire of October 10 reports it filed on the Friday — calling the commission's decision "plainly contrary to law" and a breach of "core administrative law principles." Plainly contrary. Quite possibly correct, too. And what had the calendar done in the meantime? On October 6, Paramount completed its takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, and the result operates now as Skydance. The completion is dated before the filing. Do take that in.…
…(cont) A court may decline to answer a question when the answer no longer moves anything; mootness is what that is called, and it is the cheapest defence a government is ever handed, because it obliges the government to have been right about nothing whatever. It obliges only that the matter be finished.
Finished it was, and earlier than the petition. In September, Paramount settled with a coalition of state attorneys general led by California's Rob Bonta, and on September 24 the merger's opponents went to Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín of the Northern District of California to ask for "an opportunity to be heard" before she ruled on the consent decree. An opportunity. Not a remedy, not a block — an opportunity, which is the thing left to ask for once the consideration has passed between the parties.
And the rule itself, the dull one, invoked to stop a consolidation? Twenty-two billion. Against a cost of two votes.
The dull one mattered because dull is where the money sits. What it held down was consolidation among the broadcasters who cover your county, and the repeal, Common Dreams reported, would allow media conglomerates to "seize even more control over local news stations."
You are owed one further item, because you will want to know what a broadcaster does with liberty. ABC News published an analysis estimating that companies backed financially by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have scored more than six billion dollars in contracts from the US Department of Defense. The story came down. An editor's note followed, admitting errors, and Fox News reported that what went back up was a "gutted version" of it. Six billion dollars running one way; one story, deleted, then republished smaller.
In the same stretch, after CNN, MS NOW and Politico were banned from the White House, government lawyers wrote in a court filing that "Access to the White House is a privilege—not a right," and on September 24 a judge appointed by the president ordered the access restored. A privilege. Their word, in their own filing.
Two votes in August. Twenty-two billion dollars a month later. It was outvoted.
The receipts
· Paramount completes takeover of Warner Bros, creating media behemoth Skydance from the morgue, 6 Oct 2026
· The Walt Disney Company closes a deal to acquire NBCUniversal's stake in the streaming service Hulu for $439 million, completing its acquisition of Hulu. (AP) (Variety) from the morgue, 10 Jun 2025
· ABC News Issues Correction After Appearing To Quietly Delete Story About Don Jr’s Business Dealings from the morgue, 10 Oct 2026
· ABC News quietly republishes gutted version of story on Trump sons it had deleted without explanation from the morgue, 10 Oct 2026
· GOP senator calls for subpoenaing Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden over their business dealings from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· Republican senator calls for Don Jr. and Hunter Biden to be subpoenaed over business dealings from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· GOP Sen. John Curtis calls for Trump Jr., Hunter Biden investigations from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· Is Trump’s son-in-law and top negotiator a midterm liability for Republicans? from the morgue, 7 Oct 2026
· Companies Backed by Trump Sons Have Scored Over $6 Billion in Pentagon Contracts: Analysis from the morgue, 7 Oct 2026
· Coalition Files Emergency Motion to Stop Trump FCC From Unleashing Media Consolidation Spree from the morgue, 10 Oct 2026
· White House Claims in Court Filing That Press Coverage of Trump Is a 'Privilege,' Not a Right from the morgue, 23 Sep 2026
· 'Dangerous for Democracy': Paramount Merger Opponents File Emergency Motion to Fight Settlement Deal from the morgue, 24 Sep 2026
· Trump-Appointed Judge Orders President to Restore White House Access to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the morgue, 24 Sep 2026
· With Elon Musk’s Return to Washington, Possible Conflicts of Interest Resurface from the morgue, 3 Oct 2026
· Hegseth puts the future of warfare in the hands of major Maga donors from the morgue, 1 Oct 2026
· Pete Hegseth appoints Elon Musk to US taskforce on future of warfare from the morgue, 30 Sep 2026
· Elon Musk boosts GOP spending advantage with return as 2026 juggernaut from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· An Elon Musk insider shares what he found in Washington — and it should terrify you from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· Trump Accord Enshrines Light-Touch Regulation of AI from the morgue, 3 Oct 2026
· Trump says tech CEOs signed ‘morally binding’ document to self-regulate artificial intelligence from the morgue, 29 Sep 2026
· READ IN FULL: Trump and tech leaders’ White House Accord on Super Intelligence from the morgue, 29 Sep 2026
· Soaring diesel prices take their toll on US farmers in midwest corn belt from the morgue, 3 Oct 2026
· Inflation Could Soon ‘Get a Lot More Painful’ as Trump’s Iran War Drives Diesel Over $6 a Gallon from the morgue, 11 Sep 2026
· 'Can't Message That Away': GOP Frets as Trump Administration Desperately Spins Record-High Diesel Prices from the morgue, 5 Sep 2026
· 'Trump Did It!': At $5.85 a Gallon, Diesel Price Hits All-Time High in US Thanks to War on Iran from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026
· States take matters into their own hands to curb record-high diesel prices from the morgue, 29 Sep 2026
· U.N. experts say U.S. may have committed war crimes with 2 Iran strikes from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· Trump Says 'Big Decision' Coming on Whether to 'Annihilate' Iran from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Pentagon No. 3 frustrates senators in closed-door briefing on Iran war, Trump defense strategy from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Senate Democrats, minus Fetterman, urge Hegseth to provide receipt for Iran war costs from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Hegseth on "devastation" to Iran's capabilities from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump admits Iran war will not end before midterms from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Iran War Trump Said Would Be Quick Has Now Lasted 6 Months With 'No End In Sight' from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· CBO Finds Trump's Iran War Has Already Cost Nearly $40 Billion—And That's a 'Conservative' Estimate from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Tillis supports Hegseth impeachment resolution: 'He needs to go' from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Massie Files Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth for Illegal Iran War, Boat Murders from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Massie launches effort to impeach Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Tillis urges Trump to fire Hegseth over 'inept management' of military from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Tillis renews calls for Hegseth’s firing after Driscoll’s departure: ‘I have never witnessed more inept management’ from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Farmer who voted for Trump says farmers are "all just in survival mode" from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Farmer who voted for Trump says "I can't stay in business" amid rising costs from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Massie says he’s convinced enough Republicans to pass Epstein Files II discharge petition from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Massie names Epstein 'coconspirators,' discusses new Epstein files legislation from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Read Thomas Massie’s eight impeachment charges against Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Fake Republican midterm convention site still redirects to Epstein files from the morgue, 7 Sep 2026
· Trump says he has a ‘big decision’ coming up on Iran: ‘Do I want to go in and annihilate them’ from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Fox News Poll: 71% think Trump administration lacks plan to end Iran war from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran recently downed at least 2 American drones, officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Big Oil Stocks Surged Due to Iran War—and New Filings Show How President Trump Cashed In from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026
· Live updates: Energy secretary downplays rising gas prices as US, Iran trade strikes from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· U.S. Strike on Iranian School May Have Been War Crime, U.N. Report Says from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN Inquiry Finds US Strike on Minab, Iran That Killed 123 Children Was War Crime from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN investigators conclude ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe certain US strikes in Iran were war crimes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN Suspects US War Crimes in Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· US Condemned for 'War Crimes' After Bombing of Wedding Party in Iran from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· US investigating if missile hit Iranian wedding ceremony, killing 4 from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026
· Trump says he has a ‘big decision coming up’ on Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· White House issues explosive response to UN-backed report claiming US committed war crimes against world’s No.1 sponsor of terror, Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Human rights experts: 'Reasonable grounds' to believe US committed war crimes with Iran strikes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· US Energy Consumers Have Spent $121 Billion Extra Since Trump Launched Iran War: Moody's from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran downed at least 2 American drones in recent days, U.S. officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran: Account of US Air Force colonel's rescue 'fictional' from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Consumer Burden of Trump Iran War Exceeds $100 Billion as Oil Prices Pass $100 a Barrel from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· 'A Serious and Alarming Threat': US Bombing, Blockade Deepen Iran Medical Crisis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Consumer Confidence Hits Lowest Level in Months as US Faces 'Trump's Reckless Tariffs and War With Iran' from the morgue, 25 Aug 2026
· U.S. Air Force officer rescued from Iran speaks for the first time to 60 Minutes from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Rep. Thomas Massie forcing vote on Pete Hegseth's impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Did Johnson Just Adjourn Congress for 7 Weeks to Avoid Massie's Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth? from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Massie saying Johnson is sending the House home early to prevent Hegseth impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· ‘You’re Elected to Fight and Kill the Other Side’: How Congress Lost Its Way from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Army combat veteran challenging Mike Lawler calls Hegseth national security 'hazard,' backs impeachment from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· Former Air Force secretary says he 'couldn't serve' in Trump administration from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· Former Air Force secretary: Hegseth's Pentagon 'dysfunctional' from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· House Republicans split over leaving Washington early for campaign trail from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Since 2025, Trump Made More Stock Trades Than All 535 Congress Members Combined from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Fossil Fuel Advertising Contracts Hit Record High as Big Oil Pockets Billions From Iran War from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· 'How are we gonna get through this?' Many Americans are struggling as prices rise from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Trump's Top Oil Stocks Have Made Him Up to $4.4 Million Richer During Iran War: Analysis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Gas prices reach Labor Day high amid Iran war from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.