By Jessie Schuster
Edited by Elissa D. Hecker
Entertainment
As Netflix Swallows Warner Bros., Hollywood Is In Full-Blown Panic Mode
Netflix’s $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. has triggered widespread panic across Hollywood, as industry insiders, unions, and movie‑theater owners warn it could lead to job losses, reduced creative variety, and the erosion of the theatrical film model.
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/netflix-warner-bros-hollywood-panic
Jorja Smith’s Label FAMM Seeks Share of Royalties From Viral Track ‘I Run’ Amid AI Allegations, Calls for Industry ‘Guardrails’ to Protect Artists
Jorja Smith’s label FAMM is demanding a share of royalties from the song “I Run,” which she claims was created using AI-generated vocals based on her work.
https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/jorja-smiths-label-famm-seeks-share-of-royalties-from-viral-track-i-run-amid-ai-allegations-calls-for-industry-guardrails-to-protect-artists/
Biggest Revelations From 50 Cent’s Diddy Docuseries ‘Sean Combs: The Reckoning’
The new 50 Cent–produced docuseries pulls back the curtain with previously unseen footage and interviews alleging long-standing abuse, coercion, and manipulation by Sean Combs, while revealing deeper patterns of misconduct described by people who were once inside his inner circle.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/sean-combs-the-reckoning-50-cent-diddy-doc-revelations-1236440115/
Arts
Museum and Library Grants Cut by Trump Administration Restored
The Institute of Museum and Library Services, which distributes federal funding to libraries and museums across the U.S., has reinstated all grants previously terminated by the Trump Administration, following a federal court ruling that deemed the administration’s actions unlawful. President Trump has also taken control of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and is using it to offer deeply discounted events to his allies, a move critics say reflects a wider effort to reshape the country’s arts landscape to favor his political circle
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/trump-arts-impact-2639197
Water Leak in the Louvre Damages Hundreds of Works, Museum Says
Just weeks after the famous Paris museum was robbed, a water leak at the Louvre’s Egyptian‑antiquities library damaged 300 to 400 books and documents, mostly Egyptology journals and scientific records, but the museum says that no heritage artifacts were affected and there is currently no evidence of irreparable losses.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/07/water-leak-in-the-louvre-damages-hundreds-of-works-museum-says
Sports
The SCORE Act’s Collapse Was A Predictable Failure, But What’s Next?
The SCORE Act has collapsed after failing to gain enough support and facing strong opposition from women’s sports groups, athletes, and some lawmakers who saw it as favoring major conferences over student‑athletes. Its failure has prompted a renewed push for the College Athletics Reform Act, which aims to better protect athlete rights, increase transparency, and regulate agents.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/newsletter-image-likeness-vol-161-score-acts-collapse-darren-heitner-4r8ke/
USA Gymnastics, SafeSport Face More Sexual Assault Lawsuits From Athletes
Two former gymnasts have filed lawsuits claiming that USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Center for SafeSport failed to act on repeated warnings about a coach’s abusive and grooming behavior, allowing him to continue coaching and allegedly molesting underage athletes.
https://www.aboutlawsuits.com/usa-gymnastics-safesport-sexual-assault-lawsuits-athletes/
FIFA Gives Trump a Peace Prize in a Departure From its Traditional Focus on Sport
Trump has been awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize by FIFA at the draw for the 2026 World Cup. The prize was created to honor what FIFA calls “exceptional actions for peace and unity.”
https://apnews.com/article/trump-world-cup-fifa-peace-prize-e14f95b8adaa197c869cad407b6ef604
Ryan Kesler’s Criminal Sexual Conduct Case Will Go To Trial
Ryan Kesler is suspended from his youth-hockey coaching roles as his pending trial on two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, related to an alleged January 1 incident involving a 16-year-old in Michigan, moves forward.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2025/12/05/ryan-kesler-trial-criminal-sexual-conduct-counts/87614472007/
Media & Technology
$1B Supreme Court Music Piracy Case Could Affect Internet Users
Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment could affect internet users as justices focused on how much an ISP must do to stop copyright infringement by considering whether Cox ignored clear signs of illegal activity.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/11/30/supreme-court-case-music-piracy-cox-sony/87481019007/
New York Times Sues Perplexity for Copyright Theft as AI Legal War Escalates
The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against Perplexity AI accusing it of illegally copying and distributing millions of the paper’s articles, including paywalled content, without permission.
https://www.techbuzz.ai/articles/nyt-sues-perplexity-for-copyright-theft-as-ai-legal-war-escalates
Sabrina Carpenter, Franklin the Turtle Publisher Condemn the Trump Administration’s Use of Their Work on Social Media
Sabrina Carpenter and the publisher of Franklin the Turtle join the long list of celebrities speaking out against the Trump administration for using their work on social media to promote its agenda without permission.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/sabrina-carpenter-franklin-the-turtle-publisher-condemn-the-trump-administrations-use-of-their-work-on-social-media
Hong Kong Summons International News Media for Rare Warning
Hong Kong’s Office for Safeguarding National Security summoned several international news outlets to a rare meeting and warned them to stop publishing “false information” or “smear campaigns” about recent disasters and the upcoming legislative election, accusing some foreign journalists of undermining social stability and telling reporters “do not say you have not been warned.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-06/hong-kong-summons-international-news-outlets-for-rare-warning
X Gets $140M EU Fine for Breaching Content Rules but TikTok Settles
X has been fined $140 million by the European Commission for violating online content rules, including misleading users with its “blue checkmark,” failing to provide transparent advertising disclosures, and limiting researcher access to public data under the DSA.
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/eu-fines-x-140-mln-breaching-online-content-rules-tiktok-settles-with-2025-12-05/
General News
Supreme Court to Hear Major Test of Presidential Power Over Trump’s Firing of FTC Commissioner
The Supreme Court is set to hear Trump v. Slaughter, where the Court will decide whether the President can fire members of the FTC without cause. A ruling in his favor could overturn the nearly 90-year-old Humphrey’s Executor precedent that protects independent agencies from political interference.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-trump-v-slaughter-ftc-commissioner-firing-humphreys-executor/
Judges Lash Out at Justice Department for Still Listing Lindsey Halligan on Court Documents
Federal judges in VA have strongly objected to Lindsey Halligan continuing to be listed on new court filings, saying she is not currently the U.S. Attorney, with some judges striking her name from papers while the U.S. DOJ continues to list her.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/05/politics/judges-express-frustration-lindsey-halligan-listed-court-documents
Immigration Hawks Push for New Restrictions in Wake of National Guard Shooting
After the fatal shooting of National Guard members in D.C., the White House is facing growing pressure to further tighten asylum and immigration policy, with calls for expanded vetting and restrictions on migrants.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/06/national-guard-shooting-white-house-immigration-asylum-pressure-00679438
Killing of Survivors Sparks Outrage - But Entire U..S ‘Drug Boat’ War is Legally Shaky
The U.S. military’s deadly strike on a Venezuelan-linked boat and a follow-up “double-tap” strike that killed survivors, allegedly ordered by Pete Hegseth, has sparked outrage and raised serious legal questions because experts that say targeting unarmed persons in the water violates international rules of war and also that the “drug war” is not an actually declared war by Congress.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/04/venezuela-boat-strikes-legality-hegseth