The Jim Acosta Show — February 27, 2026
Episode: How the Paramount Deal Threatens a Free Press plus the Dangers of an AI-Powered Pentagon
Guests: Steve Schmidt, Norm Eisen

Episode Overview

Jim Acosta leads a hard-hitting conversation on two urgent threats to American democracy: the consolidation of media giants under MAGA-friendly ownership (Paramount-Skydance’s takeover of Warner Brothers Discovery and CNN) and the dangers posed by unregulated, AI-powered military technology. Joined by political strategists Steve Schmidt and legal expert Norm Eisen, the episode examines media monopolization, erosion of trust in journalism, creeping authoritarianism, and the wild west of AI defense applications.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Media Consolidation: The Paramount-Skydance Takeover

Threat to the Free Press

• Jim and Steve express alarm about “one giant MAGA-friendly company” (Skydance under the Ellison family) controlling a significant portion of American media, including potentially CNN and CBS.
• Netflix withdrawing its offer for Warner Brothers Discovery leaves Skydance, controlled by David Ellison (with openly MAGA politics), as the front-runner for a major media merger.
  • [00:33, Jim Acosta]: “We can't have a situation in this country where one giant MAGA-friendly company is in control of this much of our media.”

Erosion of Journalism Standards

• Several recent incidents exemplify the decline:
  • 60 Minutes shelving an exposé on Seacot, an El Salvador gulag for American immigration detainees ([04:41]).
  • CBS News anchor’s on-air salute to Marco Rubio, a “shameful moment” in broadcast journalism ([05:09]).
  • Anderson Cooper leaving 60 Minutes rather than work under Barry Weiss’ leadership ([05:36]).
• Schmidt criticizes punditry that pretends there’s a “middle ground” between democracy and authoritarianism, calling such programming “a democracy snuff film.”
  • [02:37, Schmidt]: “This is what fascism looks like. Trump's got his paws into every deal... The level of corruption here just unspeakable.”

Loss of Legacy, Hope for the Future

• Both lament what has been lost but anticipate “new credible sources” of information will arise.
• Acosta and Schmidt emphasize the First Amendment guarantees the right to broadcast without interference, not special status for CNN or CBS ([03:50]).
• [03:36, Schmidt]: “I don't mourn for CNN… What I think is tragic is...the loss of credibility in all these networks...but new ones will come into being.”

2. Authoritarian Patterns & Political Capture

Comparisons to Foreign State Media

• Acosta draws parallels between America’s current path and state-controlled media environments in Russia, Hungary, Turkey, and Cuba ([47:00 - 49:10]).
• Notable quote about Cuba:
  • [49:00, Acosta]: “They reported on [Castro’s] death as the physical disappearance of Fidel Castro… Do we want that kind of situation in the United States?”

Political Corruption & Influence

• Schmidt connects corporate media consolidation to “economic royalists” and calls for breaking up concentrations of power ([08:22]).
• The Ellisons’ political influence is described as “sinister,” with their acquisition of media likened to “a threat to liberty” ([08:35]).
• Acosta: “This is about liberty and...the free flow of information. You can't have it suppressed.” ([09:38]).
• Attention to global players: Saudi government now owns 24% of CNN, undermining press independence ([13:14]).

3. Weaponizing Conspiracy and Political Power

Epstein Hearings and Republican Obsession

• House Oversight Committee (chaired by James Comer) hauls in Hillary Clinton to question her about conspiracy theories (Epstein, “Pizzagate,” UFOs).
  • Clinton’s response:
    • [11:00, Clinton as paraphrased by Acosta]: “I did not know Jeffrey Epstein, I never went to his island, I never went to his homes… At the end, I was being asked about UFOs and a series of questions about Pizzagate—one of the most vile, bogus conspiracy theories…”
• Discussion of how Republicans continue to fixate on Clinton for decades ([09:54]).

Files, Cover-ups, and Corruption

• Accusations of political figures scrubbing their connections to Epstein from files; DOJ removing photos and references.
• Allegations that Trump-related files mentioning accusations of pedophilia were suppressed ([17:59]).

4. The Rise and Risks of AI-Powered Defense

AI and the Pentagon

• The Defense Department (Secretary Pete Hegseth) is pushing for AI tools to run surveillance and potentially autonomous lethality, but Anthropic (AI company) refuses to hand over such power.
  • [20:55, Schmidt]: “An escalation of technology...that hands control of weapons from the hands of human beings to autonomous machines. Yes, that this should be illegal under American law.”

Out-of-Control Tech and Incompetence

• Recent military mishap: U.S. military used a laser to shoot down a DHS drone at the border ([18:31]).
• Acosta and Schmidt worry that governmental incompetence, compounded by AI, could be catastrophic.
• Echoing Eisenhower: warning against the unregulated military-industrial complex.

Export of AI Chips: National Security Risk

• Norm Eisen reveals his group, the Democracy Defenders Fund, has filed a complaint questioning how UAE received advanced AI chips after major crypto-linked investments to Trump businesses.
  • [28:26, Eisen]: "Demand that the inspector general look into the very suspicious circumstances under which the UAE got advanced AI chips..."
  • Such chips could be resold or used by rogue regimes.

5. Solutions: Independent Media and Legal Resistance

Antidotes to the Crisis

• All three guests emphasize the urgent need for robust, independent media as legacy outlets are compromised.
• State attorneys general, labor, Hollywood talent, and public pressure can—and should—fight anticompetitive media mergers.
  • [37:50, Eisen]: "States also have antitrust laws... Expect litigation, court of public opinion also."
• Legislative changes, new laws, and potential constitutional amendments are suggested to break up the new monopolies and regulate AI ([26:09]).

Cultural and Personal Reflections

• Acosta tells a story about the “physical disappearance” of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro reported in Cuban state media as a warning about the dangers of controlled information ([49:00]).
• He calls for Democrats and pro-democracy advocates to go on the offensive, not to settle for “half loaves” ([44:10]).
• The episode ends with a strong plea:
  • [50:00, Acosta]: “We cannot become a country like Putin’s Russia, where the government controls the information you receive... That is the path to tyranny. That is the road to perdition, ladies and gentlemen. And we better get off it now.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Schmidt [02:37]: “This is what fascism looks like. Trump’s got his paws into every deal.”
• Acosta [04:41]: “When 60 Minutes is in trouble, we're all in trouble. And when CNN is in trouble, we're all in trouble.”
• Acosta [06:51]: “For CBS and CNN to become this MAGA state TV monstrosity...It’s not good for anybody.”
• Schmidt [08:22]: “Franklin Roosevelt talked about this through the frame of economic royalists. And it's what we have.”
• Acosta [13:14]: “The Saudis now own 24% of [CNN]. So the government that killed Jamal Khashoggi...I guess we won’t be seeing any of the 9/11 files coming out on CNN.”
• Schmidt [20:55]: “An escalation of technology...that hands control of weapons from the hands of human beings to autonomous machines. Yes, that this should be illegal under American law.”
• Acosta [47:00]: “Do we want the United States of America to become like Russia?...where you don’t have freedom of thought, where you don’t have political freedom, where you don’t have the ability to read and watch and absorb the media and information you want?”
• Eisen [33:34]: “The cure sometimes comes before the disease...our democracy starting to develop antibodies to these authoritarian moves.”
• Acosta [50:00]: “We cannot become a country like Putin’s Russia, like Viktor Orban’s Hungary, where the government controls the information you receive...That is the path to tyranny.”

Key Timestamps

• 00:33–09:38: Paramount-Skydance merger threat; MAGA media capture, examples of journalistic decline.
• 11:00–13:14: Hillary Clinton and Republican conspiracy hearings; media ownership by foreign authoritarian regimes.
• 18:31–20:55: Dangers of AI in military; recent defense department mishaps.
• 28:26–33:34: Norm Eisen details the AI chip scandal and implications for national security.
• 37:12–39:28: Legal tools and public resistance to media mergers; calls for antitrust action.
• 47:00–50:00: Acosta’s historical/cultural reflections on state media, urgent warning, and call to action for free press and democracy.

Conclusion / Call to Action

• All guests and the host urge listeners to reject propaganda, support independent journalism, and demand robust legislative action against monopolization and unregulated AI.
• Acosta: “Support independent media... It does make a difference... We cannot allow the United States of America to be under the grip of state controlled media.”

For further episodes and updates:
jimacosta.substack.com