Paramount considers moving CBS News out of NYC in battle with NY, CA AGs

 by Charles Gasparino

Paramount is considering the option of moving CBS News out of the Big Apple as his legal battle with New York and California’s attorneys general is heating up, The Post has learned.

One point of leverage for Paramount is potentially moving its news operations out of New York City as California AG Rob Bonta leads a coalition of 12 lefty states in an effort to block Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, people close to Paramount told The Post on Wednesday.

While CEO David Ellison would prefer not to relocate CBS News, there have been broad discussions internally about a potential move to another city, said a source with knowledge of the matter.

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Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison speaks during the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles on Oct. 9. (AFP or licensors)AFP via Getty Images

Pulling CBS News from the city would mark a seismic change to the media landscape — and the idea comes as Paramount’s board has approved a plan to move the Hollywood studio out of California if Bonta doesn’t agree to settlement talks.

CBS News has about 1,200 employees worldwide, with a chunk of them in New York City, according to a network spokesperson.

“The real negotiation is how much he will move out of California and New York of his current operations. If it involves a lot of production, that’s a lot of jobs,” a source told The Post.

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Rob Bonta, attorney general of California, is pictured during an interview in San Francisco on Feb. 17. (Bloomberg)Bloomberg via Getty Images

The person, a media executive with knowledge of Paramount’s intentions, said Ellison could move all his news operations to Atlanta, where CNN is headquartered, in anticipation of eventually winning the legal row with the state AGs — even if the case reaches the Supreme Court.

Another source close to the company described the possible moves as “contingency plans.”

CBS News’ broadcast center could fetch the billionaire Ellison family a “couple of billion dollars,” the source added.

Paramount insiders believe Bonta wants a spin-off of CNN, a Warner Bros. asset, before any deal is pushed through – though Ellison isn’t willing to do that as of now.

But people inside Paramount are still optimistic that the company will be able to reach a settlement with Bonta, whom Ellison wants to come to the table by Oct. 1.

Under the terms of its deal with WBD, from that date onward, Paramount would have to cough up a painful $7 million per day until the merger is completed.

Paramount had been hoping for a speedy court battle starting in November, but a federal judge last week set a March 2027 trial date – a painful setback for Ellison that saw him publish a New York Times op-ed pledging to be a “trusted steward” of CNN.

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People walk by the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan. (Getty Images North America)Getty Images

Ellison is seeking leverage in his battle with Bonta and New York AG Letitia James, though it’s unclear how much of his production operations he is prepared to move out of California or New York.  

No formal talks are now taking place, and the two sides remain at odds over possible concessions, people close to the matter told The Post.

Paramount’s optimism comes as pressure has been mounting within the Democratic Party to keep the studio owner happy and prevent any backlash from an exodus of Hollywood jobs, sources said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has reportedly raised concerns behind closed doors about Bonta’s lawsuit, warning that if the media merger is blocked, it could hurt Los Angeles jobs.

The massive media merger would combine HBO Max, Paramount+, HBO, CBS, CNN and thousands of movie titles under one company led by Ellison, the son of Oracle billionaire and close Trump ally Larry Ellison.

Bonta has argued the deal would lead to higher prices, lower quality and less content, saying it would control nearly one-third of the US theatrical film distribution market and almost one-third of the nation’s basic cable programming.

Paramount has repeatedly defended the merger, noting that it has been greenlit by the US Department of Justice, as well as regulators in the EU, UK, Australia and China.

Paramount did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

https://nypost.com/2026/08/12/media/paramounts-david-ellison-weighs-moving-cbs-news-out-of-nyc-in-battle-with-ags-rob-bonta-letitia-james-sources/

Feds bust NYC fraud tied to hundreds of sham marriages between US, Chinese nationals

 The feds nabbed 11 suspects accused of operating a decade-long, multimillion-dollar marriage fraud scheme that resulted in around 1,000 sham weddings between primarily Chinese nationals and US citizens for the purpose of getting the Asians green cards.

The “cottage industry” uncovered Wednesday charged foreign nationals up to $100,000 for each fake union, including submitting fraudulent applications to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of those seeking lawful permanent residency.

The sham wedding ring used advertisements on social media platforms, held phony marraige ceremonies and even had both parties to the fake unions sign bizarre pre-nuptial agreements, prosecutors in the Southern District of New York alleged.

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An unidentified foreign national, left, Anthony Cheng, center, and Erika Johnson participate in a sham marriage ceremony on or about Jan. 15, 2025.DoJ

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An image submitted to USCIS shows a sham marriage ceremony purportedly held on or about Oct. 7, 2023.DoJ
One of those agreements expressly stated that “except in the name of husband and wife, both parties live independently and must not interfere with each other,” according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday.

Each defendant faces charges of conspiring to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud as well as conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the US.

All 11 of the alleged scheme participants were expected to make their initial appearance in White Plains federal court later Wednesday.

“This was one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in United States history,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche at a DC press conference.

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An image submitted to USCIS shows a sham marriage ceremony purportedly held in or about March 2025.DoJ

Manhattan US Attorney Jamie McDonald claimed that the scheme raked in tens of millions of dollars over the past 10 years.

According to the 21-page indictment unsealed Wednesday, the green card scheme involved recruiters of both foreign national customers and US citizens, assistants who submitted the false green card applications as well as attorneys, tax preparers and bogus marriage officiants

The American members of the sham couples were paid around $30,000 to participate in the performance, prosecutors said.

Recruiters received up to $5,000 for each US citizen they brought into the scheme, with hundreds ultimately participating.

hough most of the gang’s activity took place in New York City, the ring also operated in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, China and the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.

The defendants, all but one of whom are naturalized from China, included Amy Cheng, 72; Xiao Mei Chan, 64; Christine Lu, 52; Jing Yan Ye, 43; Xiao Yan Chen, 48; Gang Zheng, 61; Anthony Cheng, 47; Michelle Duenas, 35; Angela Duenas, 26; Sigrid Cetino, 32; and Erika Johnson, 43.

https://nypost.com/2026/08/12/us-news/feds-bust-nyc-fraud-scheme-that-engineered-hundreds-of-sham-marriages-between-americans-chinese-nationals/

NY Mag blasted for ‘antisemitic,’ ‘dangerous’ cover smearing Jews, supposedly celebrating Arab culture

 A tone-deaf New York Magazine “hit piece” that purportedly celebrated Arab and Muslim culture in the Big Apple – but actually fixated on a so-called Israeli “genocide” of Palestinians and referred to the Jewish state as a mere “land mass currently called Israel” – has sparked fierce backlash, prompting outraged subscribers to cancel while insiders reveal the publication’s dubious practices.

Monday’s New York mag cover story titled “Habibi City” has been widely panned for its “erasure of Jews” with ties to Arab countries, with sources fuming over the outlet’s marginalization of Jewish people and its vilification of Israel. The timing was seen as particularly objectionable, with hate crimes soaring under Mayor Zohran Mamdani — and more than half of reported incidents targeting Jewish New Yorkers.

The mag breathlessly ballyhooed “a blooming cultural ecosystem, led by young SWANA New Yorkers … born out of the resistance and protests in the months following October 7.” 

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Monday’s New York mag cover story titled “Habibi City” has been widely panned for its “erasure of Jews” with ties to Arab countries.New York Magazine

The Southwest Asia and North Africa community, “bound together by shared values,” was “born out of the pain of the genocide in Gaza,” according to the outlet, a once-venerable cultural icon.

Critics accused the mag of repeatedly noting Israel’s response to Oct. 7 while ignoring the actual terror massacre of that day, which left 1,200 dead and 251 abducted into Hamas hell deep inside the bowels of Gaza.

“I am not going to pay for a subscription to a magazine I’ve long loved – and written for – that actively seeks to negate Jewish history and identity,” journalist Jordana Horn told The Post. 

Her cancellation over the 31-page, six-part package included a blistering message: “You’re deliberately stoking the flames of anti-Jewish sentiment in this city and I’m not going to help pay for it.”

Jewish groups were livid over writer Zaina Arafat’s main piece sympathizing with SWANA New Yorkers who still “face xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Zionism — along with the repercussions of speaking out against them,” in what they branded a callous comparison of Zionism to menacing forms of hatred.

“Treating Zionism as though it belongs in a list of identity-based hatreds erases what it actually means to millions of Jews: the belief that Jews, like other peoples, have a right to national self-determination and safety,” wrote AIPAC, the American-funded pro-Israel lobbying group that’s become a boogeyman for the ghoulish political fringes.

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Red paint and anti-Israel phrasing are seen on the door and windows of the restaurant Miriam in Park Slope, Brooklyn, on Jan. 26, 2025. (Gregory P. Mango)Gregory P. Mango for NY Post

Jewish civil rights group End Jew Hatred took aim at the “dangerous” package that all but erased Jewish representation, ripping the outlet for “increasingly defining belonging around their prescribed ‘position’ on Gaza, effectively pushing Mizrahi Jews, whose families lived across the Middle East and North Africa for generations, out of their own regional identity.”

The main piece’s post-Oct. 7 reference to SWANA New Yorkers “living under the threat of annihilation” – without support to back up the claim – left End Jew Hatred furious at New York mag for “failing to mention the massacre of Jews that actually happened that day and the ongoing threats from Hamas, the regime of Iran, and its terror proxies. 

“This isn’t harmless ‘cultural clout.’ Jewish identity is not theirs to erase, and Jewish history will not be rewritten to fit a political narrative,” the group added.

Pro-Israel activist Yardenne Greenspan echoed the criticism, ripping the mag for deciding “they get to define who *really* counts as Middle Eastern.”

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New York Magazine’s inflammatory cover article appeared to call the existence of Israel into question.Instagram/@nymag

New York immigration lawyer and Jewish Syrian native Abraham Hamra also fumed over the piece’s Jewish erasure. 

“For a publication that prides itself on diversity and social justice, erasing more than 120,000 New York Jews whose families come from Arabized countries isn’t an oversight; it’s exclusion dressed up as inclusion,” the pro-Israel advocate told The Post. 

“As a Syrian Jew, I know what cultural erasure looks like, and it’s particularly insulting to watch it repackaged as progress.”

Tablet Magazine, a spicy Jewish outlet, blasted the “antisemitic, absurd” issue that included a six-page piece on the throbbing Middle Eastern restaurant scene that read more like a loaded “intifooda.”

New York’s mention of controversial restaurant Ayat, which bills itself as serving “honest, authentic” “Palestinian soul food,” included a nod to its menu with a “cheerful, tourist-style map in which the land mass currently called Israel is titled ‘Discover Palestine.’”

An irate consultant brought in on the piece railed, “As someone who saw the behind-the-scenes of the food article being written, it was a hit piece on Jewish and Israeli chefs cloaked in middle eastern cuisine and food and culture.” 

The insider told The Post that the fact-check process with the mag was “super shady.”

Former New York writer Eve Barlow, who claimed that the outlet “fired” her for her stance against Jewish hate in 2020, said she’s hardly surprised by the egregious tropes and tone deafness of the issue.

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Demonstrators at a “End Jew Hatred” rally in Manhattan on July 26, 2026. (Michael Nigro for NY Post)Michael Nigro for NY Post

“It’s been a long time coming,” she told The Post, adding that New York “ghosted” her once she started getting vocal. 

“They never had complained about any of my work up until that point. In fact, they rained nothing but praise on me,” she said, adding that multiple staff writers and editors unfollowed her on Twitter in lockstep.

“I had a great working relationship with them, and they ghosted me.”

The outlet was even accused of using the long-defunct Nazi-adjacent “Fraktur” font for the cover story, questioning its intention to send a certain message.

New York, which has seen a steady circulation decline over the years – halving its print schedule more than a decade ago – was once “at the vanguard of Manhattan publishing,” as the New York Times proclaimed in 2013.  

Tablet Mag saucily summed up the infuriating edition: “If you don’t think Israel committed genocide, you’re not from the Middle East.”

The Post has sought comment from New York Magazine.

https://nypost.com/2026/08/12/media/new-york-magazine-blasted-for-antisemitic-cover-story-that-smeared-jewish-people-while-supposedly-celebrating-arab-culture/