As July began, Paramount paid $16 million to settle a Trump civil suit. As July ended, Trump's FCC appointees approved Paramount’s $8 billion merger deal.

The FCC, led by Brendan Carr, said that it approved the transfer of the company's broadcast licenses to Skydance and David Ellison.

Proving that Hollywood really is in the business of happy endings—provided you’re loose enough with your definitions of “happiness,” and apply them pretty much exclusively to corporate entities willing to perform moral gymnastics that would put your average Olympian to shame—Paramount has successfully received FCC approval for its plans to sell itself to media company Skydance Media.