Paramount-Skydance, Chuck Mangione, Cambodia-Thailand: the night's news

The Trump administration approves Skydance Media's acquisition of Paramount. Unsurprisingly, the FCC, the media regulator, gave the green light to the merger of the two companies for $8 billion, giving David Ellison—son of billionaire Trump ally Larry Ellison—the keys to an American entertainment empire, including CBS News, which is in conflict with the president. “Americans no longer trust traditional national media to report the facts fully, accurately, and fairly. It's time for a change,” said FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. Skydance has pledged not to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and to appoint an independent “editorial ombudsman . ” This acquisition was notably made possible by an out-of-court settlement with Donald Trump, who was suing CBS News for allegedly manipulating a Kamala Harris interview on the flagship program 60 Minutes. The FCC's sole Democratic commissioner, Anna Gomez, denounced "unprecedented interference" that would result in an "erosion of press freedom." " Signs of editorial change had appeared before the merger ," NBC News points out : numerous departures at CBS News, the cancellation of Colbert's Late Show , and the proposed acquisition of the conservative media outlet The Free Press. For his part, Jon Stewart, host of "The Daily Show," told The Hollywood Reporter that he did not know if his show would survive.

Jazz musician Chuck Mangione has died at the age of 84. A virtuoso flugelhornist and successful composer in the 1970s, he was the most recognizable figure in American smooth jazz and the author of the hit "Feels So Good . " "With his beard, long hair, and brown felt fedora, he left an unforgettable mark on American culture," writes NPR . He rose to prominence as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and went on to fuse pop sounds, classical orchestrations, and jazz improvisations, winning two Grammy Awards and an Emmy. Mangione also composed for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, and played with Miles Davis, Chick Corea, and Keith Jarrett. An educator, he taught at Eastman, encouraged young musicians, and appeared, late in his career, in an animated version in the comedy series King of the Hill . His famous hat is preserved at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington.

Cambodia and Thailand ready to consider ceasefire, according to Malaysian prime minister. While the two countries were “ still shelling each other along the front line ” on Friday morning, according to the Cambodian newspaper Khmer Times , they would be ready to take a step towards each other, Anwar Ibrahim said on Facebook. “ As the ASEAN chair for 2025, Malaysia made a direct appeal to the two leaders for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further hostilities and create space for peaceful dialogue and diplomatic resolution ,” according to comments reported by the Singaporean daily Straits Times . An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. (New York time). The fighting that began Thursday has left at least 14 dead and more than 100,000 civilians displaced, Bangkok announced Friday.