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Gabriel Lezra

@gabelezra.bsky.social
193 followers 97 following 160 posts

Policy at Democracy Defenders @democracydefendersaction.org @democracydefendersfund.org | Views my own | Formerly @citizensforethics.org Debevoise & Plimpton @georgetownlaw.bsky.social | Building a democracy for the many

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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The work of justice is to plant trees under whose shade you may never sit; and the fight against organized oligarchy, against the immense power of concentrated money, is often a battle for a sunrise you may never see. But one day, someone, somewhere, will sit under a tree, watching the sun rise.
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 17h
lmao ok
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 17h
Literally what I explained in my @contrariannews.org column. I hope everyone who likes to stream sports is excited to also have to pay for golf, stock car racing, and whatever else they can slam into this combined streaming behemoth.
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I joined the @managingmadrid.bsky.social podcast yesterday to talk about how the Paramount-WBD merger will make it more expensive and more unpleasant to stream sports content. Absolute blast hanging out with @kiyanso.bsky.social as always! www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5qO...
youtube.com
Managing Madrid Founder GABE LEZRA on the rising cost of watching Real Madrid on TV
YouTube video by Managing Madrid
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Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 28/09/2026
🔔 Can the judiciary oversee Paramount's self-appointed editorial board? Hear from journalists who saw how these boards work (or don't), with @marielgarza.bsky.social, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, @sulliview.bsky.social, and @dicktofel.bsky.social. 🗓️ Oct. 5, 1 pm ET RSVP: freedom.press/editorial-bo...
Invitation to Oct. 5 FPF Zoom webinar on "independent" editorial boards
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
We’ve been saying for months that Paramount’s promise to front load the $6 billion in “synergies” would require nearly immediate mass layoffs; the report they paid for, which was covered uncritically by many in the media, said the merger would generate jobs. Huh. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Reupping my @contrariannews.org piece about the Paramount merger's impact on how we watch sports--and the continued enshittification of everything, particularly the things we enjoy. www.contrariannews.org/p/sports-fan...
contrariannews.org
Sports Fans Can’t Boycott. Paramount Is Counting on It.
I learned as a kid what it costs to watch soccer in America. The Paramount-Warner Bros. merger will teach every fan the same lesson.
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Brendan Benedict @brendanbenedict.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Not a done deal. Spread the word.
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Alvaro M. Bedoya @bedoyausa.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
mythbusting the Paramount settlement en español
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 22/09/2026
America is free only when the media is competitive, independent, and accountable to the people. apnews.com/article/warn...
apnews.com
States settle lawsuit over Paramount-Warner merger, clearing key hurdle for $81 billion deal
Twelve states and Hollywood writers challenging Paramount’s buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery have agreed to settle their lawsuits against the mega merger.
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
1936. FDR excoriates oligarchs and their financial monopolies, reckless banking, and class antagonism. Our government was a "mere appendage to their own affairs." He refused to bend the knee; and they hated him. His response? "They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred."
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Jessica J. González @jgo4justice.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Here's the deal. We're still going to be there in front of Paramount tomorrow to rally for free speech and real, structural media reform so that we don't end up here again with big media billionaires bullying and buying off our elected officials.
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Mark Ruffalo @markruffalo.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I so appreciate you and your commitment to seventh generation. You are a valiant, valiant warrior for the people.
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Craig Aaron @notaaroncraig.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Variety reports that a bunch of corporate lawyers are making "guilt donations" for working to seal the Paramount deal on Yom Kippur. I didn't work today. But I have a better idea: Gratitude donations to the groups that have been fighting so hard to #BlockTheMerger See the 🧵 below for links
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Like many in the @managingmadrid.bsky.social community, I watched Real Madrid beat Inter Milan in the Champions League recently. On Paramount+. I have no interest in Paramount+. It carries nothing else I want. I subscribed, as it's the only place to watch Madrid in the UCL. In @contrariannews.org 👇
contrariannews.org
Sports Fans Can’t Boycott. Paramount Is Counting on It.
I learned as a kid what it costs to watch soccer in America. The Paramount-Warner Bros. merger will teach every fan the same lesson.
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
When we choose our leaders we grant them a sacred charge: to stand for us. It is their duty to listen to us, respect us, and fight for us--even when the power of organized capital in the richest country in history stands against us. Failing to uphold that charge is a betrayal of democracy's covenant
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The Contrarian @contrariannews.org · 20/09/2026
David Ellison is threatening to move Paramount Skydance out of California to bully state Attorney General Rob Bonta into ending his challenge of Paramount’s $111 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery. But Ellison’s threat is empty. Let’s start with the illogic of the threat:
contrariannews.org
AGs Must Not Cave to Paramount’s Empty Threat to Leave California
No company should be allowed to bully a state into abandoning its job of protecting consumers.
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Read this. The economics of Paramount’s nonsense threat to leave California make no sense. It’s a paper tiger and people are buying it. Yet another oligarch attempt to buy a fake narrative.
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Jessica J. González @jgo4justice.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
In LA? Come join us on Tuesday morning at 10am and boo Paramount for trying to bully the AGs into their crummy deal. www.mobilize.us/notabovethel...
mobilize.us
Block the Merger: Bonta Don't Settle with Ellison's Paramount! · Not Above the Law
Join us to rally outside Paramount against the billionaire Ellison’s proposed Paramount WB mega merger! We need Attorney General Rob Bonta to stand strong against a Paramount-Warner Brothers Merger....
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Jessica J. González @jgo4justice.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
In NYC? Come join us and clap @newyorkstateag.bsky.social into work tomorrow morning at 9am for standing strong for workers, consumers and free speech! www.mobilize.us/notabovethel...
mobilize.us
Block the Merger: Don't Settle with Paramount! · Not Above the Law
Rally outside of Attorney General Letitia James office to thank her and support her continuing to stand for free media! We need Attorney General Rob Bonta and other Attorneys General to stand up aga...
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Jessica J. González @jgo4justice.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Last minute protest outside AG Bonta’s Oakland office tonight when folks caught wind that he’s wavering on his promise to protect consumers and workers. #BlocktheMerger #NoConcessions
Protesters outside AG Bonta’s Oakland office holding signs calling on the AG to block the merger.Protesters outside AG Bonta’s Oakland office holding signs calling on the AG to block the merger.Protesters outside AG Bonta’s Oakland office holding signs calling on the AG to block the merger.
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
AGs: don’t let oligarchs distract you from a simple reality: the people stand with you. Your fight is theirs: for the workers whose jobs this will eliminate, for the communities losing money, for the stories and representation we will lose, for the free press, and for democracy. #BlockTheMerger
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Elizabeth Warren @warren.senate.gov · 19/09/2026
As Trump tries to ban CNN from the White House, it would be a massive mistake to cave on the Paramount merger. The last thing we need is another Trump-controlled media conglomerate abusing its power to stomp out competition. This is a dangerous merger. variety.com/2026/film/ne...
variety.com
Paramount and California AG Bonta Reportedly in ‘Advanced Talks’ to Settle Antitrust Suit
Paramount Skydance is in "advanced talks" with California Attorney General Rob Bonta to settle the 12-state antitrust suit that's holding up its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, the WSJ reported.
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Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 19/09/2026
Normally you'd think the first person to condemn Trump kicking CNN out of the White House would be the person trying to buy it. Has anyone heard from David Ellison?
apnews.com
Trump targets more news outlets, saying he will ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House
President Donald Trump says he is barring CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House due to what he called unfavorable coverage, and threatens that more such prohibitions of media outlets could fol...
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W. Kamau Bell @wkamaubell.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Oakland! If you believe that it is wrong for a handful of billionaires to own the media then come out to this rally tomorrow (Sunday 9/20). We need Attorney General Rob Bonta to stand strong against a Paramount-WB merger. 5pm at 1515 Clay St, Oakland, CA 94612. www.mobilize.us/notabovethel...
mobilize.us
Block the Merger: Don't Settle with Paramount! · Not Above the Law
Join us to rally outside of the California Attorney General's Oakland office! We need Attorney General Rob Bonta to stand strong against a Paramount-Warner Brothers Merger. A core principle behind a...
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Norm Eisen @normeisen.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
We say no no no 1000x no to the Ellisons' pressure tactics. We support the AG's and unions pushing for real structural remedies not ephemeral behavioral ones 
democracydefendersaction.org
Block the Merger Coalition Statement on Reports of Ellison’s Settlement Squeeze
News reports indicate state Attorneys General are in negotiation talks in their lawsuit to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. The merger is a threat to workers, journalists, consumers,...
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Makan Delrahim, one of Paramount's main lawyers pushing a settlement with behavioral remedies...had a lot to say about them as DOJ antitrust chief. Back then, they were "the wolf of regulation dressed in the sheep's clothing of a behavioral decree." Thread: www.justice.gov/archives/opa...
justice.gov
 
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Read every word 👇
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Many media outlets are uncritically reporting on a "study" that says that Paramount leaving CA would cost thousands of jobs (and that the merger itself would create them). This is a report that Paramount PAID FOR--astroturf economics. Don't be fooled by this advocacy masquerading as economics.
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Remember that when someone tells you who they are, believe them. One of the heartbreaking likely futures here isn’t just that they’ll shelve projects that are made and canceled or stopped; it’s the new, beautiful stories that will never be written, never be made: www.esgdive.com/news/paramou...
esgdive.com
Paramount promises to abstain from DEI programs to secure Skydance merger
The FCC hinging its approval of the merger on Paramount decommitting from DEI is the latest example of public-sector agendas affecting private-sector talent strategy.
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Jessica J. González @jgo4justice.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Here’s how you can take action if you’ve simply had enough of spoiled oligarchs holding our communities hostage to their greed and need for domination: www.freepress.net/get-involved....
freepress.net
Tell State Attorneys General: No Concessions on the Paramount/WBD Merger
Urge state attorneys general to protect workers and consumers and block the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
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Jessica J. González @jgo4justice.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Ellison to California: Give me what I want, or I’ll shutter a historic studio and take away your jobs. Anyone else tired of billionaire oligarchs breaking all the rules and holding our communities hostage to their selfish whims? F this. #BlocktheMerger #NoConcessions deadline.com/2026/09/para...
deadline.com
Huge Job Losses And Economic Pain If Paramount Exits L.A., Report Says
Nearly 60,000 L.A. jobs could be lost if David Ellison carries through on a threat to move Paramount out of California amid his antitrust battle.
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Free Press @freepress.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Paramount's takeover of WBD is a mega-merger that sabotages free expression and gives Trump's billionaire friends even more control over information access. Tell state AGs to stand firm. #NoConcessions SIGN:
freepress.net
Tell State Attorneys General: No Concessions on the Paramount/WBD Merger
Urge state attorneys general to protect workers and consumers and block the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Had a great time joining @npr.org’s On Point to talk about my beloved Corporate Transparency Act and the future of the fight against dirty money. Check it out on your local station or listen here: www.wbur.org/onpoint/2026...
wbur.org
Did the Treasury just make it easier to launder money?
The Treasury Department recently eliminated a rule that required American companies to identify their owners. The rule was intended to prevent money laundering. What’s driving the decision to drop it?
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Mark Ruffalo @markruffalo.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
For anyone wondering about the cozy relationship the Ellisons have with the President and his family and how that relationship is driving and economically profiting from this merger. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Jared Kushner – and three Arab monarchies – are at the heart of the Paramount-WBD bid | Mohamad Bazzi
The president’s son-in-law is once again at the center of an international business deal that will require administration approval
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The next saga in a story originally broken by Matt Sledge @theintercept.com. theintercept.com/2026/08/21/p...
theintercept.com
This Mysterious “Astroturf” Group Popped Up to Defend the Paramount Merger
In text messages, the newly formed “Neighbors for Strong Communities” boosted reported threats by CEO David Ellison to move Paramount out of California.
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
WILD: the astroturf group supporting Paramount, “Neighbors for Strong Communities” is directing people to use an AI tool to write to AG Bonta. The issue? The tool is pre-programmed to write a story supporting the merger…even when you oppose it @contrariannews.org open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
open.substack.com
I Typed “Block the Merger.” AI Revised it to “Drop Your Opposition.”
An AI assisted generator dramatically altered my statement before my own eyes.
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Why we're fighting for #NoConcessions in the Paramount/WBD merger fight. Worth watching the whole video--then sign our petition here: noparamountconcessions.com#petition youtube.com/watch?si=vfw4sCnxHVwQAQyJ&v=_MwW7r1BCBA&feature=youtu.be
youtube.com
Former FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya explains what “making a deal” actually means
YouTube video by Free Press
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Mark Ruffalo @markruffalo.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... Thank you SAGAftra for taking a step to block the merger, now it’s time to stand strong against making concessions which are always unenforceable. Members please sign! And Share. #SAGAftra #BlockTheMerger #NoConcessions
docs.google.com
SAG-AFTRA National Leadership: Say “No” to Paramount’s False Promises and Commit to Fully Opposing the Merger
On July 25th, the SAG-AFTRA National Board adopted a resolution that purported to publicly oppose the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. But if you read the whole statement, it’s plain to us that, as writ...
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
The astroturfed smears against @markruffalo.bsky.social are clear attempts to undermine the fight to block the merger. Mark is fighting for workers, for an independent press; for our ability to tell stories that move people to see each other with humanity and empathy. #StandWithMark #BlockTheMerger
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Free Press @freepress.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Block the merger. No concessions. Free Press' @jgo4justice.bsky.social explains how any unenforceable concessions the Ellisons propose are a losing proposition last week with @democracynow.org. Tell state AGs: No concessions on the Paramount/WBD merger! SIGN: www.freepress.net/get-involved...
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Paramount has been hammering on this antisemitism smear on merger opponents for months. The recent attacks on @markruffalo.bsky.social are just the latest in part of that dishonest, astroturfing campaign. Thread:
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I am once again reminding you that the coordinated campaign against @markruffalo.bsky.social is part of a strategy to distract us from the many, many harms this merger will inflict on absolutely everyone who does not have a financial stake in the deal.
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
This is 1000% correct. This is an unabashed astroturfing campaign to generate press for a merger without any natural constituency and any public support.
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
For more on the Paramount-WBD impact on Latinos—and everyone—check this out from @contrariannews.org: www.contrariannews.org/p/coffee-wit...
contrariannews.org
Coffee with Contrarians ft. Juan Proaño, CEO of LULAC
Dolly Parton’s life and legacy, real life impacts of the Paramount/Warner Bros. merger, and March on Washington preview
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Paramount's CLO appallingly smears @markruffalo.bsky.social (on LinkedIn of all places?). Shameful stuff from the central lawyer in Paramount's disastrous attempt to acquire Warner Bros Discovery.
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Gabriel Lezra @gabelezra.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Gracias a @lulacorg.bsky.social por destacar cómo la consolidación va a ser un desastre para las familias latinoamericanas en los EEUU. La fusión Paramount-WBD eliminaría miles de empleos, particularmente en California, donde los latinos representan un 40% de la población. #BlockTheMerger
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Norm Eisen @normeisen.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
BREAKING: Latino community is rising up against the Paramount-Warners merger because it will kill jobs & content for Latinos--& all Americans Kudos @lulacorg.bsky.social & Juan Proano for standing with AG Bonta & 11 other AGs demanding structural remedies @megjames.bsky.social @latimes.com scoop👇
latimes.com
Prominent Latino group blasts Paramount-Warner merger
The group urged California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta to continue his fight to block David Ellison's $111-billion deal, saying it would have a "devastating and unacceptable impact on Latinos."
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Seth Stern @seth-stern.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
The Ellisons wanted to convince America that they won't launder government propaganda and push their dystopian surveillance agenda if allowed to expand their media empire by taking over Warner Bros. So to prove it they apparently hired...Flock Safety's astroturfing firm.
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Mark Ruffalo @markruffalo.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
www.thenation.com/article/soci... “This consolidation, unprecedented in Hollywood, would irreparably reshape the media industry by combining multiple massive studios underneath one roof, placing the power to shape culture and Hollywood in the hands of an unprecedented few.”
thenation.com
The Hollywood Gerrymander
The proposed Paramount/Warner Bros. merger does not just represent media monopoly—it is another form of gerrymandering, of rigging the rules to limit who has power.
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